Astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) have finally harvested the first chilli pepper grown in space, four months after they started cultivating the crop. According to an official release by NASA, chilli cultivation in space is a part of NASA’s Plant Habitat-04 (PH-04) experiment and was one of the most complex to date on the station because of the long germination and growing duration. The peppers will first be tasted by the ISS crew and the rest will be sent back on Earth. 

Astronaut Megan McArthur, who is currently orbiting the Earth in the ISS, shared pictures of her enjoying the newly cultivated peppers in her ‘space tacos’. 

Importance of cultivating plants in space

Cultivating and harvesting plants in space is an idea that will pay dividends in the long run as humans are looking to expand their reach beyond the low-Earth orbit. Once astronauts master the art of growing crops in micro-gravity and zero-gravity, it would help them prepare for Artemis missions to the Moon and beyond. But most importantly, it would help in developing ways to sustain explorers for missions to Mars, something that may last for months or even years and have limited opportunities for resupply missions. Explaining the importance of their crop experiments, NASA said,

Feeding crews on the Moon, and especially Mars, will be a logistical challenge. While crews will still rely on packaged foods from Earth, part of the challenge is that sending supplies beyond low-Earth orbit requires more propellant and longer delivery times, particularly to Mars.

These experiments are also a lifesaver as packaged foods, which are primarily what the ISS astronauts consume, degrade after a certain period of time and lose key nutrients such as Vitamin C and Vitamin K. Growing your own crops in outer space has another perk as the crew will have a variety in their meals, says NASA.

Why the chilli peppers?

There are several reasons to choose chilli crops for this experiment as they contain several key nutrients and are an excellent source of Vitamin C. In addition to this, peppers are self-pollinating, making the fruit easy to grow, and have a good chance of growing successfully in microgravity. Astronauts would also prefer peppers as they add a taste to their diet and are safe for astronauts to consume since peppers have low microbial levels. 

According to NASA, astronauts have grown and eaten 10 different crops on the space station since 2015 and are further researching ways to address the cultivation challenges and supplement their diets with fresh food.

(Image: Twitter/@ISS_Research/@Astro_Megan)