Astronauts make cakes from chili successfully grown on the international space station

The US space agency announced that they have successfully grown plants in space and astronauts have used the first chili peppers as a filling.

The US space agency announced that they have successfully grown plants in space and astronauts have used the first chili peppers as a filling.

Recently, the US space agency NASA has successfully grown and harvested green peppers on the International Space Station ISS.

Picture 1 of Astronauts make cakes from chili successfully grown on the international space station

Green peppers were first harvested on the International Space Station ISS.

From July 2021 aboard the International Space Station, astronauts grow chili peppers from the " improved Española " variety, famously grown in New Mexico's famous Hatch Valley.

This is a hybrid of the famous "chile sandia" grown in the New Mexico region and the "chile landrace" , which is commonly found in the northern part of the state.

NASA said peppers grown on the ISS Station to serve the Plant Habitat-04 investigation. "The investigation involves microbiological analysis to improve and increase understanding of the space plant microbial response, taste, texture and nutritional status of chili peppers when grown in extraterrestrials." , said NASA.

Growing peppers in space is "one of the most challenging plant experiments ever". According to NASA, peppers are more difficult to grow than many other plants in space because they take longer to germinate, grow and develop.

NASA astronaut Megan McArthur used chili peppers grown in space for the first time for use in tacos. This is a traditional Mexican cake.

It is common for people to consume "improved Espanola" peppers during both the green and red stages of the fruit.

Picture 2 of Astronauts make cakes from chili successfully grown on the international space station

Astronauts make cakes from chili peppers successfully grown on the international space station.

Astronaut Megan McArthur, who has been living on the space station since April, has used available ingredients to make tacos, including green peppers, beef fajita, tomatoes, and artichokes.

"After the harvest, we sampled green and red peppers and finished in surveys," McArthur said . I made my best tacos in space.

In addition to peppers, NASA has grown cabbage, lettuce, kale, a flower of the daisy family on the ISS space station. From 2019, NASA announced that Española peppers will be the first fruit grown on the ISS. This is a forward-looking project to search for crops that can be sent to Mars.

Initially, NASA considered growing Hatch peppers on the International Space Station. However, unlike Hatch peppers, which grow in the desert, Española peppers typically grow at higher altitudes and have a shorter growth period. Therefore, they will be more suitable for growing and harvesting in space.

Update 05 November 2021
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