Astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) are preparing to grown fresh vegetables inside the space laboratory for the first time.
The test will be held on Monday and include Expedition 44 crew members and NASA's Scott Kelly in the first-ever space feast, with space grown fresh food as the main course.
Of course, before the leafy greens are eaten, it will have to be washed using citric acid-based, food-safe sanitizing wipes. They are free to eat half of the harvest, while the other half will be sent back to Earth for further studies.
"Having fresh food like these available in space could have a positive impact on people's moods and also could provide some protection against radiation in space," Ray Wheeler, lead for Advanced Life Support activities in the Exploration Research and Technology Programs Office at Kennedy, said in a statement, according to International Business Times.
The plant experiment is called "Veg-01" and was activated, watered and cared for by the Expedition 39 crew members, headed by flight engineer Steve Swanson, in May 2014.
Expedition 44's "Veg-01 plant pillows" is the second batch, having been activated by Kelly on July 8. Now, 31 days later, it is ready for harvest.
These experiments are being used to study the in-orbit function and performance of the plant growth facility and its rooting "pillows," which contain the seeds, NDTV reported.
"The farther and longer humans go away from Earth, the greater the need to be able to grow plants for food, atmosphere recycling and psychological benefits. I think that plant systems will become important components of any long-duration exploration scenario," NASA's Gioia Massa said, according to Gizmodo.
