Question: Can the chloroplasts in the plant dry out in space?

Anne Visscher answered on 6 Oct 2015:

Hi Daimena,

If seeds are not protected from the vacuum in space, they will lose water, oils and other molecules. For example, when you put seeds on the outside of the International Space Station, they will become ultra-dry. Seeds cannot germinate without water, so the unprotected seeds would never grow into green plants with healthy chloroplasts! However, when you bring the seeds back into the Space Station and give them water, then most seeds will have survived the extreme drying in outer space and germinate very well and grow into healthy plants. Inside the ISS, plants will not dry out (unless the water escapes from the growth chamber and starts floating around!)

Anne