NASA and light therapy

The technology may seem new, but in 1993 the Wisconcin company, Quantum Devices, Inc, developed LED lighting systems for use by NASA astronauts for space shuttle plant growth experiments and to help heal wounds in astronauts as the lack of gravity keeps human cells from growing naturally.

LEDs provide high-energy efficiency and virtually no heat, despite releasing waves of light ten times brighter than the sun.  The experiments demonstrated that red LED wavelengths could boost the energy metabolism of cells to advance plant growth and photosynthesis.

Based on this positive outcome, NASA started focusing on increasing energy inside human cells and hoped that the LEDs would yield medical benefits on earth and stem bone and muscle mass loss in astronauts.