In a breakthrough experiment, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) grew a chili pepper plant for four months in outer space that became a major discovery in sustaining life in space.

After the long wait, a few NASA astronauts aboard the International Space Station planned and decided to have a “fiesta” and throw themselves a taco party. Surprisingly, they used unique chili peppers in the filling. Taking to her social media account, NASA astronaut Meghan McArthur shared a few images of the tacos that were made with the first space-grown peppers.

“Friday Feasting! After the harvest, we got to taste red and green chile. Then we filled out surveys (got to have the data! ). Finally, I made my best space tacos yet: fajita beef, rehydrated tomatoes & artichokes, and HATCH CHILE!,” McArthur tweeted.

https://twitter.com/Astro_Megan/status/1454190385190907912?s=20

It was NASA’s plan to grow food crops in space so that they can make long-duration space missions sustainable.

In the first image, McArthur can be seen with a taco floating near her face. Whereas the second image shows the fillings of the taco. There are squishy tomatoes along with others but the freshly cut green chile peppers stand out in the image. In the third and final photo, McArthur displays her space crop harvest where five chile peppers are captured standing on a floor.

These photos truly mark the success of the chile pepper’s cultivation experiment taken up by NASA. However, this discovery is one of the most challenging station plant experiments that has taken place so far, as per ISS Research.

How did scientists grow peppers?

A team at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center planted and sanitized 48 pepper seeds in a device known as the science carrier. This carrier contains a controlled release fertilizer formulated for peppers and baked clay for the growth of roots.