NASA Scientist keynote at Netherlands CEA Symposium at Expo Osaka
What can we learn from space exploration to grow better food on Earth? Dr. Raymond Wheeler, plant physiologist and emeritus senior scientist at NASA, will answer that question during the symposium on Controlled Environment Agriculture at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai. The CEA Symposium, held on 3 September, is organised by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Japan, the Municipality of Westland, and Dutch Greenhouse Delta. Wheeler will explore the link between space technology and Dutch horticulture.
The American plant scientist is coming to Japan at the invitation of the Municipality of Westland. For over thirty years, he worked as a researcher at NASA, focusing on one central question: how do you provide food, oxygen, and clean water in space? His team developed systems to grow crops under fully controlled conditions – technologies that are now also being applied in greenhouses here on Earth.
In his presentation, Wheeler will show how innovations such as LED lighting, vertical farming, and closed growing systems were originally developed for space missions but are now being used worldwide in horticulture. “If you can grow plants hundreds of kilometres above the Earth, you should also be able to do so in dry, cold, or otherwise harsh environments here on Earth – and eventually on the Moon or Mars,” says Wheeler. “Space challenges us to make systems smarter and more sustainable. There’s a lot we can learn from that.”
The link between his work and greenhouse horticulture is clear: both rely on controlled growing with minimal use of water, energy, and space. During the symposium, Dutch and Japanese companies and knowledge institutions will exchange ideas on sustainable food production. This dialogue builds on years of collaboration and a shared ambition: working together on smart cultivation solutions for the challenges of today and tomorrow – on Earth and beyond.
Click here for more information about the Netherlands Horti Mission to Expo 2025 Osaka.