The space environment can be hostile to seed; therefore,
data are needed on the effects of space on seed and on how seed should be package to survive in
space. As a first step toward meeting this need, the George W. Park Seed Company, Inc., flew a
Getaway Special seed experiment on STS-6 and found that seed can in fact survive a few days in
low-altitude Earth orbits. The Seeds in Space Experiment on LDEF was designed to investigate the
effects on seed of long duration exposure in space.
Launched aboard STS-41C, retrieved with STS-32