Astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) have tasted space-grown food for the first time, when they ate a red romaine lettuce.
Previously, food grown in space had always been sent to Earth for experiments, but on this ocassion half of the produce was eaten by the six astronauts and only the remainder is being frozen and transported.
According to Nasa, several space farming experiments have been undertaken over the years, but all produce was sent to Earth for testing, and then released into markets.
Lettuce eaten by the astronauts was grown using the plant growth system Veggie, which was developed by Orbital Technologies (Orbitec) and funded by the Kennedy Space Center.
Veggie uses a highly efficient LED lighting system that uses 60% less energy than traditional plant lighting systems, Nasa said.
Space farming is expected to enable explorers to embark on longer journeys, such as on missions to Mars where it is not possible to supply food from Earth. Currently, freeze-dried food is being supplied to them.
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By GlobalDataAstronaut Scott Kelly, who tasted the lettuce at ISS, said: "Having the ability to grow our own food is a big step in that direction."
The lettuce was grown in a special plant-growing box, Veg-01, built by Orbital Sciences and transported on the SpaceX Dragon cargo ship.
Rooting pillows in the box contained the seeds, soil and fertiliser. Kelly activated the seeds on 8 July, and they grew for 33 days, reported AFP.
A special irrigation system was used to maintain moisture in soil, as a replacement for water.
Nasa said in a statement: "As the agency eyes deep-space missions like a trip to an asteroid or Mars, space farming becomes less of a novelty and more of a necessity.
"Plants will be an integral part of any life-support system for extended missions, providing food and oxygen and processing waste. Significant further advances will be necessary, and each of them promises to bring new innovations to agriculture here on Earth."
Image: Red romaine lettuce being grown using high-efficiency LEDs. Photo: courtesy of Orbital Technologies / Nasa.
