Chili peppers were grown and harvested in space for the first time aboard the International Space Station. The spicy fruits were tasted in tacos by crew members.
The chili peppers were grown as part of the Plant Habitat research – 04 . The crop began to grow on 12 July 2021 and NASA Astronaut Expedition 66 Mark Vande Hei made the first pepper harvest on 29 October 2021.
The crew members disinfected the peppers and did a test for her flavor to complete a scientific survey.
NASA astronaut Megan McArthur prepared her best space tacos yet, made , with a flour tortilla, beef fajita, tomatoes, artichokes and included the chilies grown for the first time in space.
Some peppers and their leaves from the final harvest they will return to Earth to be analyzed . The chili plants on the space station continue to grow and the chili harvest will continue.
SpaceX Crew-3 astronauts will take over the final harvest of the peppers in late November. They should also take samples of the culture and perform taste tests.
Chili peppers have nutrients that astroates need
The Plant Habitat experiment – 04 is growing a hybrid variety of chili peppers called NuMex “Española Improved” Pepper that the researchers selected because peppers are an excellent source of vitamin C and performed better in soil tests in the Advanced Plant Habitat (APH).
It is a hybrid developed by the State University of New Mexico, which combines the Hatch Sandia pepper and the traditional pepper Spanish from northern New Mexico.
Chili peppers are an easy fruit to pick and can be eaten raw. They also have a desired flavor since spicy or well-seasoned foods are the favorites , since in zero gravity, astronauts tend to lose a bit of taste and smell.
NASA notes that growing chili peppers represents one of the longest and most challenging plant experiments ever attempted aboard the orbiting laboratory, in comparison with the 10 Previous space crops that NASA astronauts have made, including lettuce and radishes.
The information acquired with the crops applies to future crops of fruits and vegetables that can supplement the diet of astronauts with key nutrients such as vitamin C and vitamin K, which explorers will need during long missions in space.
It may interest you:
– 5 things that happens to him na your body when you eat spicy foods
– Who invented tacos and how they became so famous in the United States United
– Tacos with meat: which is the worst and best meat, according to chef Aarón Sánchez