ISS astroculture. Astronaut Peggy Whitson displays the soybean (Glycine max) plants growing in the Advanced Astroculture (ADVASC) experiment aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The ADVSAC experiments are partly automated. The Expedition 5 crew installed this one in the Destiny module, allowed it to operate for around 70 days under monitoring by Earth-based scientists, and prepared it for return. The plants were grown to research plant growth in reduced gravity. The ISS is a joint effort by several national space agencies, including NASA. It orbits Earth at an altitude of 350 kilometres and it is still being constructed. Photographed on 10 July 2002.