NASA astronauts grow chili peppers in space to help improve crew diets

• NASA astronauts have started growing chili peppers in space aboard the ISS.
• Crew members will be able to enjoy spicy snacks in about four months, the agency said.
• Peppers are very nutritious, making them a great choice for crews when exploring deep space.
• See more stories on the Insider business page.

NASA astronauts spice things up in space.

In recent days, astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) have started growing chili peppers as part of the agency’s food crop production experiments.

The peppercorns arrived at the space station aboard SpaceX’s 22nd Commercial Resupply Services mission, which launched in June.

The Plant Habitat-04 (PH-04) experiment, which will grow 48 Hatch chili seeds, will grow for about four months before the astronauts harvest them. Astronauts will be able to enjoy the peppers when they turn red, signaling their maturity, but they can also be eaten green, the agency said.

Shane Kimbrough, a flight engineer who is part of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-2 mission, started the experiment by watering the seeds. This isn’t the first time Kimbrough has grown crops in space, according to NASA. In 2016, he helped grow and eat “Outredgeous” red romaine lettuce as part of the Veg-03 experiment.

Nasa

The peppers will be grown in the Advanced Plant Habitat (APH), a plant growth cell about the size of a kitchen oven, according to the agency. This is one of three plant growth chambers in the orbiting laboratory where astronauts grow plants.

“The APH is the largest plant growth facility on the space station and has 180 sensors and controls to monitor plant growth and the environment,” said Nicole Dufour, PH-04 project manager. “It’s a diverse growth chamber, and it allows us to help control Kennedy’s experiment, reducing the time astronauts spend tending to crops,” she added.

This is the first time that NASA astronauts will grow a crop of chili peppers on the station, from seeds to maturity. Matt Romeyn, PH-04 Chief Scientist, said: “This is one of the most complex plant experiments on the station to date due to the long germination and growth times. “

Why peppers?

They’re high in vitamin C and several other key nutrients, Romeyn said. Peppers are also hardy and have a good chance of successfully growing in microgravity. They’re also easy to handle as a pick-and-eat crop that doesn’t require cooking.

Its color also makes it well suited for astronauts aboard the space station. “Growing colorful vegetables in space can have long-term physical and psychological health benefits,” Romeyn said. “We are finding that growing plants and vegetables with colors and scents helps improve the well-being of astronauts.”

Nasa

Taste is a crucial part of the experience. LaShelle Spencer, scientific team leader for the PH-04 project, said, “The spiciness of a pepper is determined by environmental growing conditions. The combination of microgravity, light quality, temperature and humidity of the root zone will all affect the flavor, so it will be interesting to find out how the fruit will grow, ripen and taste.

Indeed, the food that astronauts eat must not only be the most nutritious, but also the tastiest. Crew members in space may lose their sense of taste and smell due to a short-term effect of life in microgravity, and they may therefore prefer foods that are spicy or rich in flavor, said Romeyn.

There is a lot of work going on in space agriculture from a nutritional and complementary point of view, where astronauts prepare a full menu in zero gravity. In May, astronauts aboard the ISS took advantage of a fresh supply of vegetables, including “Amara” mustard, also known as Ethiopian kale, and the previously cultivated crop, pak choi. ” extra dwarf “.

The experiments aim to help find solutions to feed crews on future long-duration missions to the Moon and possibly Mars, NASA said.