NASA astronauts spice up the International Space Station – growing chillies on board for the first time

Outer space is getting spicier and spicier, thanks to a new NASA initiative to add a little more flavor to astronauts’ diets.

NASA announced last week that astronauts aboard the International Space Station are growing red and green chili peppers for the very first time. Hatching chili seeds arrived at the station in June, thanks to a SpaceX commercial replenishment service mission.

NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough, which launched the ISS in April, launched the experiment, dubbed Plant Habitat-04 (PH-04). He’s once grown plants in the orbiting lab, munching on “extraordinary” red romaine lettuce in 2016.

A team of researchers from the Kennedy Space Center planted 48 seeds in a device called a science stand, which contains clay for root growth and a specially formulated, controlled-release fertilizer. The device fits into the Advanced plant habitat, one of the three plant growth chambers on board.

“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 project manager Nicole Dufour. “It’s a diverse growth chamber, and it allows us to help control Kennedy’s experiment, reducing the time astronauts spend tending to crops.”

The peppers will take about four months to grow before they can be harvested and eaten, marking the first time astronauts have grown peppers on the station, from seed to maturity. If the data indicates that the peppers are safe, the crew will eat some and send the rest back to Earth for analysis.

“This is one of the most complex experiments on plants to date due to the long germination and growth times,” said lead researcher Matt Romeyn. “We have already tested flowering to increase the chances of a successful harvest, as the astronauts will need to pollinate the peppers to grow fruit.”

Astronauts grew the first flower on the ISS in 2015 and 2016, the predecessor of longer flowering fruit crops like peppers. NuMex ‘Española Improved’, a Hatch hybrid chili, was selected after more than two years of researching dozens of chili varieties in search of the perfect space culture.

“The challenge is the ability to feed crews in low earth orbit, then support explorers on future missions beyond low earth orbit to destinations such as the Moon, as part of the Artemis program, and possibly towards Mars, ”Romeyn said. “We are limited to crops that do not need intensive storage or processing.”

Scientists hope the culture will help supplement the diet of astronauts on future missions, providing vitamin C and other much-needed nutrients. Additionally, due to life in microgravity, astronauts can lose some of their sense of taste and smell, increasing the demand for spicy or seasoned foods.

“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.”

The researchers will monitor the growth of the peppers and compare them to a control group on Earth. They plan to collect crew feedback on the flavor and texture of the peppers, as well as Scoville’s measurements.

“The spiciness of a pepper is determined by the environmental growing conditions. The combination of microgravity, light quality, temperature and humidity of the root zone will all affect the flavor. “Said team leader LaShelle Spencer.” This is important because the food astronauts eat should be as good as the rest of their equipment. In order to successfully send people to Mars and bring them back to Earth, we will not only need the most nutritious foods, but also the best tasting ones. good.”