Space gets spicier: NASA to sell its own masala from space in near future?

The experiment, initiated by NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough, will cultivate 48 Hatch chile pepper seeds in an Advanced Plant Habitat (APH), a plant growth chamber which is about the size of a kitchen oven

Hyderabad: NASA astronauts aboard the International Space Station are growing chile peppers on the space station for the first time.

Why? They say, in order to send humans to Mars, they need to spice things up!

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NASA’s Kennedy Space Center recently shared a video on their social media platforms, announcing the same. “Chile peppers are spicing up the @Space_Station! Recently, @astro_kimbrough added water to NASA’s Plant Habitat-04 experiment. In less than 4 months, @NASA_Astronauts will pick their first harvest(sic),” they tweeted.

🌶️ Chile peppers are spicing up the @Space_Station!

Recently, @astro_kimbrough added water to NASA’s Plant Habitat-04 experiment. In less than 4⃣ months, @NASA_Astronauts will pick their first harvest. Follow along as these space peppers kick up the heat: https://t.co/KpCVpd850U pic.twitter.com/KS3qvRoz22

— NASA's Kennedy Space Center (@NASAKennedy) July 14, 2021

 

NASA’s Plant Habitat-04 (PH-04) experiment, containing Hatch chile pepper seeds, arrived at the space station aboard SpaceX’s 22nd commercial resupply services mission in June.

The experiment, initiated by NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough, will cultivate 48 Hatch chile pepper seeds in an Advanced Plant Habitat (APH), a plant growth chamber which is about the size of a kitchen oven. The cultivation will take about three-and-a-half months before they are ready for harvest.

The type of peppers grown in the plant growth chamber APH are NuMex ‘Espanola Improved’, a hybrid pepper from New Mexico, often grown at the Hatch Valley. These peppers are said to be not only flavourful but also nutritious being denser in Vitamic C than even an orange.

Shane Kimbrough is a flight engineer who is part of the seven-member Expedition 65 crew, and has previous experience growing crops in space. He has also helped to grow and eat ‘Outredgeous’ red romaine lettuce in late 2016.

This research will expand NASA’s space cookbook while helping keep the astronauts healthy and their sciences satisfied as the organisation is more than ready to venture to the Moon and Mars.

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