NASA Astronauts Grew Green Chile Aboard The ISS And Had A Space Taco Party
Image via NASA
Astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) celebrated the harvest of the first-ever chile peppers grown in space, which had been planted back in July, with a one-of-a-kind taco party.
The experiment, dubbed ‘Plant Habitat-04’, was one of the more complex plant missions carried out in space, as peppers take more time to grow as compared to previous tests with lettuce, flowering zinnias, and radishes.
Four months after the seeds were sowed, big, juicy peppers were plucked off the vine by Astronaut Mark Vande Hei. It was then cleaned before the crew sampled the red and green chiles, filling in scientific surveys about their taste and texture.
Once the taste test was over, the astronauts on board used the chiles to whip up a scrumptious meal, with astronaut Megan McArthur saying they were “the best space tacos yet.”
As reported by CNN, the crew used a mixture of fajita beef, rehydrated tomatoes and artichokes, and the hatch chiles to construct their very own Mexican feast.
NASA explained the experiment was part of its trial to expand the type of crops grown in space so astronauts can sustain themselves on future missions, according to NPR.
“The challenge is the ability to feed crews in low-Earth orbit, and then to sustain explorers during future missions beyond low-Earth orbit to destinations including the Moon, as part of the Artemis program, and eventually to Mars,” said Principal Investigator for NASA’s Plant Habitat-04 Experiment, Matt Romeyn.
Will chiles now be a staple onboard the ISS? Well, if the astronauts’ excitement over the tacos were anything to go by, we wouldn’t be surprised to see Taco Tuesdays become a tradition even in space.
Friday Feasting! After the harvest, we got to taste red and green chile. Then we filled out surveys (got to have the data! 😁). Finally, I made my best space tacos yet: fajita beef, rehydrated tomatoes & artichokes, and HATCH CHILE! https://t.co/pzvS5A6z5u pic.twitter.com/fJ8yLZuhZS
— Megan McArthur (@Astro_Megan) October 29, 2021
[via CNN and NPR, cover image via NASA]
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