Space taco floating in zero-G aboard the ISS. Talk about spec-taco-ular! (Twitter/Astro_Megan/NASA)
NASA has had quite a year so far, filled with new innovations and discoveries. Not to mention, gearing up for the upcoming Artemis 3 mission, the first lunar landing since 1972.
Now the space agency has us marvelling at their latest scientific breakthrough ... space tacos!
More specifically, the tacos in question were made with red and green chile peppers that were grown on board the International Space Station (ISS). Seeds for the peppers were sent up to the station back in June, and over the past four months, they have grown into full-fledged plants ready to be harvested!
NASA astronaut Megan McArthur announced Friday via social media that the crew enjoyed the peppers along with fajita beef and veggies. Yum! Astronaut food has come a long way since the days of this!
The way it was—samples of space food packages like the ones used on the Apollo missions to the Moon in 1969. (Getty Embed)
Uhhhh, we'll stick with the tacos, thanks!
Space Crops
The ISS crew posing with their “home grown” peppers (Twitter/Astro_Megan/NASA)
The seeds were sent up to the station as part of an ongoing NASA experiment. The goal of this experiment? To understand what foods can grow successfully in space, so we can eventually feed astronauts without resupplying from Earth.
Self-sustaining space farming would open the door for much longer space missions, and would especially be handy for future missions to the Moon and Mars. Plus, growing colourful and healthy vegetables will have long term benefits for the physical and mental health of the astronauts.
The experiment is led by astronaut Shane Kimbrough, who helped the team a couple years ago grow Romaine lettuce on the station. Spicy space salad anyone?
While we’re still in the early phases of space farming, no doubt that we’ll be seeing a lot more interstellar crops in the future. For now, we’ll enjoy our peppers. Bon Appétit!
