NASA astronaut Kate Rubins harvested fresh radishes that grew in space and opened new doors for the production of food in microgravity to sustain future long-term missions to the moon and Mars.
The radishes were grown in the Advanced Plant Habitat (APH) aboard the International Space Station. NASA shared a time-lapse video of the radishes over the course of 27 days in the APH.
On November 30, Rubins harvested 20 radish plants from the APH, wrapped each in foil and placed in a cold room. The radish plants will be sent to Earth early next year on SpaceX’s 22nd commercial offering mission, according to a NASA statement.
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Radishes are the latest kind fresh produce to be successfully grown and harvested in microgravity, and was selected for the Plant Habitat-02 (PH-02) experiment because the vegetables are well understood by scientists and reach maturity in just 27 days.
Radishes are also a viable testing facility for future long-term missions because they are edible and nutritious. The vegetables are genetically similar to Arabidopsis, which is a small cabbage-related flowering plant that has been regularly studied in microgravity, according to the NASA statement.
“Radishes are a different crop compared to leafy vegetables previously grown by astronauts on the space station, or dwarf wheat, which was the first crop grown in the APH,” said Nicole Dufour, NASA APH program manager at Kennedy Space Center. in the state. “The growth of a variety of crops helps us determine which plants thrive in microgravity and provides the best variety and nutritional balance for astronauts on long-term missions.”
The PH-02 experiment enabled NASA scientists to study the ideal balance between care and nutrition as their quality grows plants in space. The radishes were grown with an exact amount of minerals and required very little maintenance from the crew. The APH room uses red, blue, green and broad spectrum white LED lights to stimulate plant growth, while a sophisticated control system delivers the plants as needed.
The APH is also equipped with more than 180 sensors that allow researchers from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center to monitor plant growth and regulate the temperature, moisture and carbon dioxide levels inside the room, according to the statement.
“Radishes offer great research potential due to their sensitive bulb formation,” said Karl Hasenstein, lead researcher for PH-02 and a professor at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, in the statement. Hasenstein directed plant experiments since 1995 with NASA.
In addition to the crop grown in space, researchers have also done so growing radishes since November 17 in the ISSES room (International Space Station Environmental Simulator) in the Kennedy Space Station Processing Facility. wisharvested on 14 December compared to those cultivated in space.
NASA astronauts will soon be planting a round radish seed in the APH’s second scientific carrier, enabling scientists to increase the sample size of radishes grown in space to improve the accuracy of the experience, said officials in the NASA statement.
‘It is a privilege to lead a team that paves the way for the future of production of crops in space for NASA’s reconnaissance efforts, “Dufour said in the statement. I’ve been working on APH since the beginning, and every new crop we can grow brings me great joy, because what we learn from it will help NASA bring astronauts to Mars and bring them back safely. ‘
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