. 24/7 Space News .
SPACE TRAVEL
Astronauts eat first radishes grown in space as 2020 ends
by Paul Brinkmann
Washington DC (UPI) Jan 02, 2021

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station celebrated the New Year in part by eating radishes, the first vegetables grown in space besides leafy greens.

The space radishes were grown from seeds over the past 27 days in the microgravity of orbit as part of NASA's program to develop space agriculture.

The astronauts appreciated having fresh produce on the orbiting space laboratory, where fresh produce delivery is very limited, Karl Hasenstein, lead researcher for the radish growing project, said Friday.

Astronaut Kate Rubins "commented that the radishes were just as tasty as what she'd grown in her garden," said Hasenstein, who is a professor of biology at the University of Louisiana.

Rubins harvested the radishes Thursday, clipping off their leaves first to preserve some for scientific study after they return to Earth.

Rubins and astronaut Mike Hopkins "stated that eating something fresh was a most enjoyable experience," Hasenstein said.

He said astronauts also harvested similar radishes in late November, but NASA prevented astronauts from eating them as the agency evaluated possible contamination that could occur with the small orbiting farm operation.

"The radishes grown on the space station are cleaner than anything you'd buy at the store," Hasenstein said.

The space station has the largest crew in years living and performing scientific experiments on board -- four U.S. astronauts, two Russian cosmonauts and a Japanese astronaut.

The five astronauts in orbit posted a short video on Twitter on Wednesday wishing those on Earth a happy new year. It showed Rubins lofting a blowup Earth ball into the air as the crew counted down.

"We hope this inspires you to celebrate in your own way. Three, two, one!" Rubins said.

It was only a coincidence that the New Year's celebration coincided with the first consumption of radishes grown on board, said Dave Reed, director of Florida operations for Techshot, the Indiana-based company that makes the growing chamber for the vegetable.

"The radishes looked great. We harvested 19, and nine were offered to the crew to eat," Reed said. "The other 10 radishes were frozen for return to Earth and for post-flight analysis."

The radishes are grown in a bed of small clay balls, which retain moisture, and fertilizer, with artificial light. The growing chamber, or Advanced Plant Habitat, is a container about 20 inches in height, width and depth, Reed said. It's part of NASA's Plant Habitat-02 experiment.

What crops NASA will tackle for space farming next depends on how the radish evaluation turns out, Hasenstein said.

"We hope to get some of the frozen radishes back in March and compare them to radishes grown on Earth under the exact same conditions," he said.


Related Links
Space Tourism, Space Transport and Space Exploration News


Thanks for being there;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5+ Billed Monthly


paypal only
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal


SPACE TRAVEL
Rice seeds carried to the moon and back sprout
Beijing (XNA) Jan 01, 2021
Some of the 40 grams of rice seeds that made a round trip to the moon have sprouted and are ready for follow-up studies, according to Science Daily on Monday. The rice seeds traveled to the moon and returned to Earth after 23 days of flight aboard China's Chang'e 5 lunar probe. This marks the first time China conducted a deep space induced mutation breeding experiment on rice. The seeds were handed over to their provider, the National Engineering Research Center of Plant Space Breeding of So ... read more

Comment using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.



Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

SPACE TRAVEL
Rice seeds carried to the moon and back sprout

Marsquakes, water on other planets, asteroid hunting highlight 2020 in space

China to launch core module of space station in first half of 2021

US may buy seat on Russia's Soyuz for astronaut's flight to ISS in Spring 2021,

SPACE TRAVEL
SDA awards contract to SpaceX

Launch of Long March 4C closes out China 2020 space plan

Russia plans more Proton-M launches in 2021

mu Space to push Thai space industry, planning to build its first spaceship in 2021

SPACE TRAVEL
NASA video shows Perseverance rover's planned 'terror' landing on Mars

Fluvial Mapping of Mars

A Martian Roundtrip: NASA's Perseverance Rover Sample Tubes

How to get people from Earth to Mars and safely back again

SPACE TRAVEL
China's space achievements out of this world

China's Chang'e-5 orbiter embarks on new mission to gravitationally stable spot at L1

China plans to launch four manned spacecraft in next two years

Mission accomplished, now on to the next: China Daily editorial

SPACE TRAVEL
Record Year for FAA Commercial Space Activity

Voyager Space Holdings to buy all of Nanoracks

Lockheed Martin To Acquire Aerojet Rocketdyne

Russia lifts UK telecom satellites into orbit

SPACE TRAVEL
Scientists and philosopher team up, propose a new way to categorize minerals

New radiation vest technology protects astronauts, doctors

Order and disorder in crystalline ice explained

Spontaneous robot dances highlight a new kind of order in active matter

SPACE TRAVEL
Discovery boosts theory that life on Earth arose from RNA-DNA mix

Key building block for organic molecules discovered in meteorites

Astronomers detect possible radio emission from exoplanet

Device mimics life's first steps in outer space

SPACE TRAVEL
Dark Storm on Neptune reverses direction, possibly shedding a fragment

The 'Great' Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn

NASA's Juno Spacecraft Updates Quarter-Century Jupiter Mystery

Swedish space instrument participates in the search for life around Jupiter









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.