SPACE²

SPACE2: Space, Policy, Agriculture, Climate, and Extreme Environment.
Our team’s grand vision for SPACE² is “The University of Nebraska-Lincoln will grow the first acre of corn on Mars’ soil.” UNL would like to bring the Green Revolution Moment to Mars by researching ways to create circular agriculture on the red planet. With this vision, our team anticipates that, in the next half century, UNL will lead the nation in developing a transdisciplinary, signature academic program in Space Ag. The program will be an epicenter of cutting-edge research in Space Ag, fostering world-renowned scholars, vibrant teaching and outreach activities, and far-reaching impacts on the humanities and society.
Why UNL
- UNL is strategically well-positioned to lead the Space Ag enterprise in the nation. Agriculture is a leading industry in Nebraska with millions of acres of corn and soybeans. The vision and concept of “farming on Mars” will engage Nebraska citizens and excite and motivate our younger generation farmers.
- UNL already has strong research bases in many disciplines essential for Space Ag, including plant genetics and biochemistry, controlled environment agriculture and robotics, space law, science literacy, food science and technology to just mention a few.
News & Events

UNL graduate students team up with LPS, DMS to “Plant the Moon”
Cassie Palmer and Ehsan Fazayeli have been meeting regularly with Dawes and Lincoln Northeast High School to share a hands-on version of science. It’s part of the Plant the Moon Challenge, a program from the Institute of Competition Sciences in collaboration with NASA. The overarching goal connects with NASA’s Artemis program, which intends to get humans back on the Moon for the first time since the 1970s.
Read story
Dr. Wheeler of NASA visits BSE department
He presented on a wide range of topics including bioregenerative life support on the moon and Mars, crop considerations for space, ISS plant facilities and more.

Space² team presents at 2023 Water for Food conference
Dr. Ge and Dr. Pitla shared the Space² team's vision of bringing the green revolution to the Moon and Mars by researching ways to create circular agriculture in space. Other presenters on the team were Ash Eliza Smith, Robert Twomey and Elsbeth Magilton.
Team members
Project co-leads-
Yufeng Ge, Professor, Biological Systems Engineering
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Santosh Pitla, Associate Professor, Biological Systems Engineering
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Dipti Dev, Associate Professor, UNL Department of Child, Youth and Family Studies
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Brittany Duncan, Associate Professor, UNL School of Computing
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David Jones, Department Head, UNL Biological Systems Engineering
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Jennifer Keshwani, Associate Professor, UNL Biological Systems Engineering
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Bethany Lowndes, Assistant Professor, UNMC Department of Neurological Sciences
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David Mabie, Assistant Professor of Practice, UNL Biological Systems Engineering
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Elsbeth Magilton, Executive Director of Space, Cyber and Telecom Law, Nebraska College of Law
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Kaustav Majumder, Assistant Professor, UNL Food Science and Technology Department
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Rebecca Roston, Associate Professor, UNL Biochemistry
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James Schnable, Professor, UNL Department of Agronomy and Horticulture
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Mindi Searls, Research Assistant Professor, UNL Earth & Atmospheric Sciences
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Ash Eliza Smith, Assistant Professor of Emerging Media Arts, Johnny Carson Center for Emerging Media Arts
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Robert Twomey, Assistant Professor of Emerging Media Arts, Johnny Carson Center for Emerging Media Arts
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Frans von der Dunk, Othmer Professor of Space Law, Nebraska College of Law
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Ehsan Fazayeli, Ph. D student, UNL Biological Systems Engineering
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Cassie Palmer, Ph. D student, UNL Complex Biosystems
Contact Information
For more information about the SPACE2 project, contact:

Yufeng Ge
Project co-lead
yge2@unl.edu
402-472-3435

Santosh Pitla
Project co-lead
spitla2@unl.edu
402-472-1466
SPACE2 is funded by a Grand Challenges Planning Grant.