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| Heart of the Matter (Photo by Liam Kaplan) |
Munching down on some fresh-grown lettuce doesn’t usually seem like that big of a deal.
Munching down on some fresh-grown lettuce while hurtling through space might be a whole different matter.
International Space Station astronauts were recently the first to enjoy such an otherworldly experience.
Dante D’Orazio of Verge
tells us that “red romaine lettuce” was the first space-grown plant to be eaten by humans.
Plants have been grown in an ISS greenhouse for years, but none of these “science experiments” have been eaten before.
Researchers
had to first check into whether any contaminants had infiltrated these ISS-grown plants. NASA has now
determined that such vegetables are fit for human consumption.
The ISS lettuce was grown from “pre-made seed ‘pillows,’” along with “red and blue LEDs” as a light source.
The salad-ready romaine was planted on July 8th and “harvested 33 days later after consistent watering.”
Resources
http://www.theverge.com/2015/8/9/9124023/iss-astronauts-eat-space-vegetables-first-time
Copyright August 13, 2015 by Linda Van Slyke All Rights Reserved
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