First ever bites of space-grown food

21.08.2023 - 12:03 / theunconventionalgardener.com / guest

Header image: Good enough to eat – ‘Outredgeous’ lettuce grown under pink lights on the International Space Station. NASA, CC BY-SA

Words by Tanya Hill, Museums Victoria

For the first time, NASA astronauts on board the International Space Station (ISS) have enjoyed munching down on food they have grown themselves. That’s a really special achievement considering the three things required for growing food – soil, water and sunlight – are in short supply when orbiting 400km above the Earth.

Following in the footsteps of many first-time veggie-growers, the first harvested meal on the ISS was a simple lettuce – a red romaine lettuce “Outredgous” that was chosen because it is hardy, compact and nutritious. After ‘washing’ the lettuce with sanitised wipes, the astronauts first tried their salad plain, then added a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar to bring out the flavour.

Having fresh food on the ISS is a treat. When supply ships arrive on the station, they generally carry a limited quality of fresh fruits and vegetables, such as apples and carrots. These perishable treats must be eaten quickly.

But, this is something more. Anyone who has ever grown their own food, will also know the joy of things tasting better when you’ve been the one tending the garden.

In space, astronauts use aeroponics to grow their garden. The plants are grown mostly in air, with just a very small amount of nutrient rich water. Sunlight is provided by a bank of red, blue and green LED lights. The plants actually gain enough energy to grow from the red and blue lights alone. But this makes the lettuce a weird purple colour. Green LED lights, which are less efficient, were added to make the lettuce more attractive to eat. (It’s a little known fact that