Espanõla will be the first fruit tree to be grown on ISS?

Espanõla peppers (Chile) will be the first fruit tree that NASA grows in space for vitamin supplements.

According to CNN, a group of scientists at NASA's Aerospace Agency is preparing to give Espanõla the pepper plantation in the universe . This will be the first fruit tree to be grown and harvested by NASA on the International Space Station (ISS).

During the search for astronauts on Mars, NASA also discovered that it was important to find plants and fruits that could accompany them to Mars. And pepper Espanõla was chosen because of the very strict standards it can . meet.

Espanõla peppers are chosen to be grown in outer space.

According to Jacob Torres, a NASA scientist: Depending on the distance from the Earth to the planets, the shortest trip to Mars will still take about two years. Therefore, traditional pre-packaged meals will not provide enough vitamins and nutrients for astronauts.

Jacob Torres said: "They can eat well, but there will not be enough nutrients to work . " Before NASA made the journey to the red planet, scientists had to find a way to supplement the diet for astronauts of fruits and vegetables, in which Espanõla peppers were chosen.

Why does NASA choose chili Espanõla, Chile?

There are many challenges when deciding to plant in space.Selected plants should be easily pollinated plants, can exist in environments with high carbon content. Scientists found that peppers are capable of meeting these two conditions.

When Torres was a NASA intern in 2018, scientists discovered the ability to grow Hatch peppers, a type of Chilean pepper grown in the state of New Mexico. Later Torres, a native of New Mexico state, asked the research team to consider Espanõla peppers instead.

Hatch peppers grow well in the deserts of New Mexico, but Espanõla peppers can grow much faster and have a shorter growth time, helping them to harvest better in space.

Torres said, Espanõla peppers were then selected and the results exceeded expectations. Currently, NASA is preparing to send chili to the International Space Station (ISS) from January 11, 2020. These peppers will be able to provide the amount of vitamin C needed by astronauts.

An extraterrestrial garden?

Not only stopping at the chili plant, NASA hopes to grow many other plants in space with different nutritional values."We need to develop all the plants needed to supplement their diet," Torres said .

NASA planted some vegetables on the ISS such as lettuce, Chinese cabbage, Japanese mustard leaf, Russian red kale and zinnia. But Espanõla peppers will be the first fruit tree to be grown on ISS.