in , , , ,

Things are Getting Really Spicy Up in Space

Spicy

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station from NASA, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration), and the ESA (European Space Agency) have finally been able to spice up their lives in Low Earth Orbit after over three long months (137 days) of waiting. Astronaut Shane Kimbrough started the experimental growth of mild hatch chili peppers on July 12th using the Advanced Plant Habitat (APH) the crew was able to finally harvest seven of the fresh spicy peppers and prepare them in the form of tacos, marking the first time in history that astronauts have eaten peppers that were grown from seed in space.

According to a press release from NASA,

“This experiment, Plant Habitat-04, is growing a hybrid variety called the NuMex ‘Española Improved’ Pepper, which researchers selected because peppers are an excellent source of Vitamin C and they performed best in ground tests in the APH. This is the first of two harvests for the experiment, with the second planned for late November.”

“Compared to the 10 previous space crops NASA astronauts have grown and eaten aboard the station, growing chile peppers has been one of the most challenging experiments. Peppers have longer growing times and, unlike radishes or leafy greens, require pollination before fruit develop. To overcome those challenges, plant researchers on the ground used APH’s more than 180 sensors and controls to closely monitor the peppers and precisely control the environment for optimal growing conditions. Those researchers also had help from astronauts willing to lend a hand.”

Aside From Spicy Taco Night Why Grow Peppers?

Spicy

In short, this particular pepper performed well in testing and had the makings of a viable space crop. Matt Romeyn, principal investigator for PH-04 explained the importance of the experiment for long-term space exploration and habitation.

”The challenge is the ability to feed crews in low-Earth orbit, and then to sustain explorers during future missions beyond low-Earth orbit to destinations including the Moon, as part of the Artemis program, and eventually to Mars,” Romeyn said. “We are limited to crops that don’t need storage or extensive processing.”

“Growing colorful vegetables in space can have long-term benefits for physical and psychological health,” Romeyn said. “We are discovering that growing plants and vegetables with colors and smells helps to improve astronauts’ well-being.”

But how spicy is a space-chili pepper? In reality, somewhat mild, but as long as they taste good that’s good enough

“The spiciness of a pepper is determined by environmental growing conditions. The combination of microgravity, light quality, temperature, and rootzone moisture will all affect flavor, so it will be interesting to find out how the fruit will grow, ripen, and taste,” said LaShelle Spencer, PH-04’s project science team lead.

“This is important because the food astronauts eat needs to be as good as the rest of their equipment. To successfully send people to Mars and bring them back to Earth, we will not only require the most nutritious foods, but the best tasting ones as well.”

What do you think?

Written by admin

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Amazing

AMAZING NEW IMAGES FROM CENTER OF OUR GALAXY

Dyson

A New Way to Detect Dyson Spheres