Sunday, 16 August 2015

Nasa astronauts take first bites of lettuce grown in space: ‘Tastes like arugula’

NASA/Gioia Massa

By Alan Yuhas

It was one small bite for man, one giant meal for mankind.

On a gustatory adventure never attempted by humanity, astronauts have for the first time dined on a harvest sown in space. The verdict from astronaut Scott Kelly: “Tastes good. Kinda like arugula.” It was a strangely appropriate comment, given that arugula is also known as rocket.

Kelly was one of three American astronauts who tried lettuce grown on board theInternational Space Station as part of a Nasa experiment on Monday.

The crew members of Expedition 44 harvested space-grown red romaine lettuce heads on Monday. They first cleaned them with sanitizing wipes, then tried them raw, then dressed the roughage with a bit of extra virgin olive oil and Italian balsamic vinegar.

“If we’re ever going to go to Mars someday, and we will,” Kelly said, “we’re going to need a spacecraft that is much more sustainable.

“Having the ability for us to grow our own food is a big step in that direction.”


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