The Española pepper will be the first fruit plant of NASA to grow in space

by



[ad_1]

A team of NASA scientists is working to launch Española spice into space. It would be the first fruit plant that the United States has grown and harvested at the International Space Station.

While NASA plans to send astronauts to Mars, it is essential that the agency finds plants and fruits that can accompany them.

According to Jacob Torres, a NASA scientist, according to the planet's alignment, the shortest trip to Mars would take another two years. Traditional prepackaged meals will not provide enough vitamins and nutrients to traveling astronauts.

"They would be able to empty their belly, but they would not have the nutrients to do their job," Torres said.

Before NASA heads to the red planet, scientists must find ways to supplement the astronaut regime with freshly grown fruits and vegetables, such as Espana pepper.

Why chili peppers?

Jacob Torres with a microgravity test bed.

It's hard to grow crops in space. A plant must be easily pollinated and able to survive in a carbon dioxide rich environment.

Scientists have discovered that some hot peppers can do both of these things.

When Torres arrived at NASA in 2018 to do an internship, scientists were exploring the possibility of growing peppers Hatch, a chili from New Mexico.

Torres, a native of this state, suggested to the team to look instead at the Española spice of the state.

The peppers hatch in the deserts of New Mexico, but Española peppers grow at much higher altitudes and have a shorter growing season, making them more suitable for harvesting in space.

Española peppers have exceeded expectations, he said. NASA is preparing to send the peppers to the International Space Station between November and January.

Fight the cold in the space

Peppers can give astronauts a boost of vitamins.
Chili peppers are not only resistant to extreme conditions, they are full of vitamins. This will help astronauts combat some of the health problems they face in space, Torres said.
Zero gravity causes the body fluids to rise up to the head, giving astronauts the feeling of always being cold. Astronauts have also reported losing their sense of taste and having trouble seeing, said Torres.

These peppers may provide a supply of vitamin C.

"Imagine having a fresh pepper in which to bite after months of cardboard consumption," Torres said.

An extraterrestrial garden

NASA hopes to grow various crops in space with different nutritional values, Torres said.

"We need to grow enough to supplement the diet," he said. "Just like here on Earth, we can not live on the same thing."

NASA has grown three types of lettuce, as well as Chinese cabbage, Mizuna mustard, Russian red cabbage and zinnia flowers.

Espola pepper would be the first fruiting plant – a flowering plant that would produce a procreate pod – to be grown on the International Space Station.

Astronauts love gardening, Torres said.

Cmdr. Scott Kelly is busy with a blooming zinnia flower during a mission in 2016.

He shared images of the plant from the International Space Station, tweeting: "Yes, there are other forms of life in space! #SpaceFlower #YearInSpace"

Kelly was also one of the first to sample a crop of red Outredgeous romaine lettuce grown at the space station in 2015.

[ad_2]

Source link