American astronauts are the first to benefit from the ongoing space gardening experiment, which hopes to supplement their packaged food.
As part of the project named after Hatch Valley, New Mexico, the crew of the International Space Station harvested seven mature peppers, the origin of the peppers, in late October.
NASA’s “Incubating to the International Space Station” (NASA) Beginning in the summer, 48 Chilean seeds accompanied the American crew aboard the spacecraft at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Once they entered the International Space Station, LaShele Spencer, the project’s scientific team leader, and her colleagues at NASA transferred the seeds to a growth chamber the size of an oven. They can remotely control lighting, temperature and irrigation.
As the plants begin to grow, the astronauts trim them, remove the debris and plant their space garden.
“This is a real enjoyment for us,” NASA astronaut Megan MacArthur said at her press conference in space. “We can come and smell the plants and see the peppers growing. So this is really a good morale booster and an interesting scientific project.”
Jacob Torres, a native of New Mexico, is a technician and horticulturist at NASA. He assisted in evaluating the seeds used in the experiment. Highland News ReportThis kind of seed is called NuMex Española modified type. It is widely planted near the Hatch Valley. It is an early-maturing, medium-calorie variety.
“Being part of this team and working on the New Jalapenos I grew up really means everything to me,” Torres said in a video interview, adding that he is proud to be part of it. “Our task is to grow a pepper. A successful pepper. Now we have seven in the first harvest.”
In contrast, its ability to adapt to high concentrations of carbon dioxide and the microgravity of outer space without sacrificing flavor or nutrition surpasses other peppers. After the first harvest, the staff held a taco party and used peppers in various dishes.
Dean Mutaropoulos/Getty Images
“Not only does it have a championship in New Mexico, but it also performed well in our screening tests in a capsule-like environment,” Spencer said.
She added that the crew are looking forward to harvesting again after the Thanksgiving holiday, although some peppers will be sent back to the earth for nutrition and food safety analysis.
Spencer said that she is not sure whether microgravity will affect the unique mid-calorie taste of peppers, but believes that the entire experiment will improve the way peppers grow in a controlled indoor environment with less water.
“When we went to New Mexico to pick seeds, the farmers in Hatch told us that they were worried about the impact of climate change and drought on their Chile,” Spencer said. “Maybe a controlled environment with limited water and electricity input, like our environment there, can save Chile.”
Weekly newspaper Contact NASA for comments.
