AeroponicMaster
Member
Astronauts chow down on space harvest for the first time.The International Space Station (ISS) was the scene of an historic lunch this week with the crew members of Expedition 44 dining on the first meal harvested in space. The dish, which consisted on leaves of "Outredgeous" red romaine lettuce grown in NASA's "Veggie" zero-gravity greenhouse, is part of the space agency's effort to find ways to feed tomorrow's deep-space travelers.
The meal, which was eaten on Monday by US astronauts Scott Kelly, Kjell Lindgren, and Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui, was a very informal affair. For preparation, the lettuce was harvested and treated with a citric acid-based, food-safe sanitizing wipe. Since the yield consisted of only a few leaves, the repast was more of a tasting as the three men floated in the experiment module munching on a leaf each. However, the taste was reported by one astrodiner as "awesome."
The Veg-01 experiment sees plants grown in zero gravity in a plastic greenhouse that consists of a collapsible plastic tent with a controllable atmosphere that is lit by red, blue, and green LED lamps. The red and blue lamps provide light to grow the plants, while the green gives the crops a less alien appearance. The seeds themselves are embedded in rooting "pillows" that take the place of soil for root growth and retaining water.
The meal, which was eaten on Monday by US astronauts Scott Kelly, Kjell Lindgren, and Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui, was a very informal affair. For preparation, the lettuce was harvested and treated with a citric acid-based, food-safe sanitizing wipe. Since the yield consisted of only a few leaves, the repast was more of a tasting as the three men floated in the experiment module munching on a leaf each. However, the taste was reported by one astrodiner as "awesome."
The Veg-01 experiment sees plants grown in zero gravity in a plastic greenhouse that consists of a collapsible plastic tent with a controllable atmosphere that is lit by red, blue, and green LED lamps. The red and blue lamps provide light to grow the plants, while the green gives the crops a less alien appearance. The seeds themselves are embedded in rooting "pillows" that take the place of soil for root growth and retaining water.
