Join host Susan Wise as she talks with Dr. Gary Stutte—‘space farmer,’ scientist, and CEO of SyNRGE—about growing food beyond Earth, recycling human waste into life support, and how space farming innovations are transforming agriculture here on Earth.
Welcome to Stars Launch Pod, Space Technology and Research Sciences, brought to you by StarSciences.org, where we connect, collaborate, and accelerate.
My name is Susan Wise. I’m your host, and today we’re joined by Dr. Gary Stutte—horticulturist, plant physiologist, space biologist (or, as he likes to say, space farmer), and founder and CEO of SyNRGE.
Susan Wise: Welcome to the show.
Gary Stutte: Thank you very much. It’s a pleasure to be here and have a chat today.
Susan Wise: I like the sound of “space farmer.” So, we’re talking about growing things in space, right?
Gary Stutte: That’s exactly the goal. Out there, we need food to survive. As we go beyond Earth, we’ll need tools and technologies to grow our own food and sustain life in an inhospitable environment. That’s what we work on.
Susan Wise: So what exactly is SyNRGE? Does it have to do with space farming?
Gary Stutte: Yes. My background is in horticulture, and I spent about 25 years at Kennedy Space Center working on controlled-environment agriculture—finding tools and technologies to keep people alive on the Moon and Mars. About 10 years ago, as opportunities for commercial space flight expanded, I started asking: how can we use these technologies both for growing plants in space and here on Earth?
SyNRGE comes from the name of one of the first three spaceflight experiments I led, which studied plant–microbe interactions on the International Space Station. Plants give us food, air, and water purification. Microbes interact with plants to keep that system balanced. SyNRGE grew out of that—first as research, then as a development and consulting company.
Susan Wise: What are you currently working on to further the space industry?
Gary Stutte: Two main things. First, we’ve identified beneficial microbes from our space experiments that help plants grow better—they improve nutrient uptake and stress tolerance. We’re working on turning that into a commercial product here on Earth.
Second, we’re using microbes to break down human waste—yes, urine and feces—into nutrients that can be recycled back to plants. That creates bio-regenerative life support systems, giving us a continuous, sustainable cycle for long-term missions to the Moon and Mars.
Susan Wise: So, when you say “waste,” you mean human waste?
Gary Stutte: Exactly. Pee, poop, garbage—you name it. Instead of jettisoning it, which is costly, we recycle it. The nutrients in that waste have been the basis of agriculture for millennia. By reclaiming them, we can survive sustainably on the Moon and Mars.
Susan Wise: That sounds like something out of a movie. But this is real life?
Gary Stutte: This is real life. At Kennedy Space Center, I was part of experiments growing potatoes for long-duration missions. We tested recycling shower water, urine, and fecal matter to recover nutrients and sustain crops. The movie got some details wrong, but the concept was accurate.
Susan Wise: Well, I need to figure out how to help my basil and rosemary—they’re not thriving.
Gary Stutte: (laughs) That’s a whole other conversation. But basil and rosemary are actually great examples. Beyond basic nutrition, they bring flavor and medicinal benefits. Hydroponic technologies let us grow plants that are not only nutritious but also enjoyable to eat as we move beyond Earth.
Susan Wise: Very cool. What’s been one of your biggest “aha” moments?
Gary Stutte: The first came when I visited the Controlled Ecological Life Support System program at Kennedy Space Center. They were tracking carbon dioxide, oxygen, and water in closed systems. I realized there’s no such thing as “waste”—just resources we’re not reusing. Plants can recycle CO₂ into oxygen, and recycle water and nutrients from waste. That was my first big aha moment.
The second came when I began testing whether these technologies could work on Earth—in cities, deserts, and extreme climates. The answer was yes. The same tools for growing plants in space can be applied here on Earth. That’s why I founded SyNRGE: to bridge technologies between Earth and space.
Susan Wise: What has been your biggest challenge, and how did you overcome it?
Gary Stutte: Convincing people that biology—plants and microbes—is essential to space exploration. Space is often seen as “rockets and engineers,” but biology is just as critical. Without photosynthesis, none of us would be alive.
Our work on light, CO₂, and environmental controls laid the foundation for today’s indoor and vertical farming industry. The LED technologies we developed for space are now transforming agriculture on Earth. To overcome resistance, we keep demonstrating small systems and showing results. Even now, astronauts on the ISS are growing and eating crops like tomatoes, lettuce, and peppers.
Susan Wise: I have a question my dad once told me. Is it true that today’s soil is less nutrient-rich than it was 40 or 50 years ago?
Gary Stutte: Generally, yes. Large-scale monoculture farming removes nutrients from the soil. Fertilizers replace some, but not all, and microbial communities in the soil can be disrupted. That reduces long-term fertility.
At SyNRGE, we study how microbes in the root zone can restore balance, recycle nutrients, and sustain growth—similar to what we’ll need to do on the Moon or Mars, where soil alone can’t support plants.
Susan Wise: Amazing. Do you have a piece of advice for our listeners?
Gary Stutte: I’ll give two insights and one piece of advice. First, in my lifetime we’ll see two major things: another 2 billion people added to Earth’s population, and humanity landing on the Moon and then Mars. Both will challenge us deeply.
My advice: always look up and dream, but don’t forget the work that needs to be done here on Earth. Balance vision with responsibility, and amazing things can happen.
Susan Wise: Before we wrap up, do you have any passion projects you’d like to share?
Gary Stutte: Yes—I’ve just started one. I bought land in North Carolina where an old school once stood, founded in 1904. I’ve established a nonprofit called the Old Tallest School Research and Education Center. Its mission is to explore sustainability, medicinal plants, and hydroponics, linking lessons from the past with applications for space agriculture. We just registered it two weeks ago, and I’m excited to share more as it develops.
Susan Wise: That’s wonderful. Thank you so much for joining us today, Gary.
Gary Stutte: Thank you for the opportunity to share our work.
Susan Wise: That was Dr. Gary Stutte—plant physiologist, space biologist, space farmer, and CEO of SyNRGE.
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