Asteroid Regolith Simulant Plant Growth Data with Leaf Area and Soil Analysis

A study by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration on the viability of CI carbonaceous asteroid regolith simulant for growing lettuce, radishes, and peppers. The dataset includes results from an Image Analysis Photography assay with leaf area measurements, plus plant height, biomass, and substrate analysis data for pH, elemental content, and soil texture. The data was last updated in March 2026.

Use Cases

• Modeling plant growth response to different soil simulant mixtures based on leaf area and biomass measurements.
• Analyzing the relationship between soil properties (pH, cation exchange capacity, texture) and plant health indicators.
• Comparing drought stress and compaction effects across different crop species (lettuce, radish, pepper).
• Investigating the availability of plant-usable nutrients like phosphorous and potassium in simulated asteroid regolith.

Strengths

• Includes multiple measurement types: leaf area from image analysis, plant height, biomass, and detailed soil analysis.
• Data originates from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, a recognized authority in space research.
• Covers three distinct crop species (lettuce, radish, pepper) for comparative analysis.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data is based on a simulant, not actual asteroid regolith, which may affect real-world applicability.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Experimental study growing crops in mixtures of asteroid regolith simulant and peat moss.

Time Range

The study date is not specified; the dataset metadata was updated in March 2026.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 20:03:46.219768; freshness should be verified.

Geography

null