NASA rolled up its sleeves for the project that aims to grow vegetables in space. NASA, which will send a special team to the International Space Station (ISS), which hovers about 400 km above the Earth, will start growing space vegetables at the end of the year.
As part of the Vegetable Production System (VEGGIE) project, the astronauts to be sent to the ISS will grow six lettuces on their first try. Lettuces that will grow under pink LED lights for 28 days will be ready for harvest at the end of this period.
According to the news of Mashable, the person who inspired NASA's lettuce project is US astronaut Donald Pettit, who has served on the ISS twice in the past. Pettit had managed to grow pods once during his trials on the space station.
NEW VEGETABLES WILL BE GROWING
NASA will not immediately switch to space vegetable production as part of the VEGGIE project. The first harvests will be sent to Earth, where they will be analyzed for bacteria and hygiene.
If the space lettuce experiment is successful, the next attempt will move on to vegetables like radishes and peas. In the next stages, it will move from potatoes to the stage of growing grains that are of greater importance for astronauts. As each vegetable and grain product requires a different interest, the trials will be carried out meticulously. For example, although potatoes are easy to grow and store, they will require extra equipment when growing and using wheat.
Considering using food from 3D printers for space missions and future long journeys, NASA envisions saving for the near future in the VEGGIE project.
The cost of sending half a kilo of food from Earth to the ISS today is around 10 thousand dollars.
Source : ntvmsnbc
Günceleme: 19/09/2013 00:43
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