Lettuce planted on ISS!
Q. NASA has planted lettuce on the International Space Station– this will help in preparing astronauts for a future manned mission to which planet?- Published on 27 Oct 16a. Red Planet
b. Mars
c. Saturn
d. Both a and b are the same
e. None of the above
ANSWER: Both a and b are the same
NASA has planted lettuce on the International Space Station to learn how to grow fresh food in space- helping astronauts prepare for future manned mission to Mars
- Farmers on Earth are planting leafy greens for the fall growing season with astronauts aboard the ISS are planting the third on-orbit crop of red romaine lettuce
- NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough initiated the Veg-03 experiment, one of his first science assignments as a new crew member aboard the orbiting lab
- The study is a validation of tools and procedures to grow plants and provide fresh food for astronauts
- Members of the Veggie team examined the crops from the Experiment Monitoring Area located in Space Station Processing Facility at NASA Kennedy Space Centre in Florida
- The scientists could remotely watch Kimbrough’s actions and ensure he did not encounter any challenges with activity or hardware
- Plant pillows are small pouches containing a growth medium, fertiliser and seeds; for growing them, astronauts simply add a bit of water.
- Astronauts on future long-duration space missions will be able to grow their own food to supplement their diets
- The new Veg-3 crop will be the Veggie’s team’s first on-orbit attempt at a new, repetitive harvest technique termed Cut-And-Come-Again
