Most people associate NASA with rocket science, but now the U.S. space agency has turned its attention to rocket salad. A portable greenhouse to grow lettuce was taken to the International Space Station (ISS) during last week's supply mission.
Provided that the astronauts can cut the mustard, they should be eating their first homegrown space salad before the end of the year. If so, it will be the first time a NASA astronaut has tasted something grown in orbit.
Until now, all supplies have been taken from Earth. But, according to Dr. Gioia Massa, a payload specialist at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, there is no reason why this has to be the case. "If you can get the environmental conditions correct, there's no reason why plants won't grow pretty well in space," she said.