Astronauts to dine on space lettuce for the first time in history

NASA astronauts on the worldwide Space Station (ISS) have grown the first ever vegetables in space-and are about to eat them.

A short video posted with it shows three astronauts sampling their harvest of “Outredgeous” red romaine lettuce, cultivated as part of NASA’s space-based plant experiment.

But only half the space harvest will be eaten, with the remainder to be packaged and frozen before being returned to Earth for scientific analysis.

“There is evidence that supports fresh foods, such as tomatoes, blueberries and red lettuce are an excellent source of antioxidants”.

The lettuce was grown onboard the ISS’s Veggie plant growth system, which was previously tested in Florida at the Kennedy Space Center.

The first set of harvested greens were sent back to Earth in October of past year for safety analysis.

NASA plans to grow food on future spacecraft and on other planets as a food supplement for astronauts.

The romaine lettuce was harvested in an expandable “Veggie” unit, where seedlings from Earth grew from root-mat “pillows” under LED lights. The green LEDs aren’t actually necessary to the process – and the food would grow better without them – but helps make the food look a familiar colour.

NASA researchers are hoping to determine whether these fresh vegetables have an impact on the physical and psychological health of astronauts. But this is not the first time astronauts have succeeded in harvesting greens in space.

“Blue and red wavelengths are the minimum needed to get good plant growth”, Wheeler said. They’re using the technology being tested in space on the ground, as well, in places like Dubai, which has to import 95 percent of its food because of inhospitable growing conditions. The ability to grow sustainable plants in space opens up a world of possibilities for prolonged space exploration, both in terms of improved nutrition and beyond.

The seeds are contained in rooting pillows, and were “activated” by Kelly on July 8, NASA said.