They harvest space chili peppers as part of a four-month study process.
They test cultivation on the space station and send the rest to Earth for analysis.
Internet users give gastronomic tips to astronauts: Mexican tacos.
NASA astronauts surprised Internet users by presenting the first Hatch chili peppers grown and harvested inside the Kennedy Center space station.
This as part of the Plant-habitat-04 study, which was successfully qualified in the POT, so, to celebrate, the crew asked for help on the internet to find the best way to eat the “space chilies.”
According to the agency, the peppers were left to grow for four months, starting in July 2021, so the crew could eat some specimens and the remains would be sent back to Earth to be analyzed.
“The challenge is to be able to feed the crews in low Earth orbit and then sustain explorers during future missions beyond low Earth orbit, at destinations like the Moon, as part of the Artemis program, and eventually to Mars,”Stated Matt Romeyn, PH-04 Principal Investigator for the POT.
Once the test period was completed, NASA explained that there were seven copies achieved, so that the astronauts had to find a way to celebrate success in finding a food need for space missions.
And so it was … the crew decided to cook a very Mexican dish and they prepared some beef taquitos with the popular and unique spicy
“These peppers are one of the most complicated vegetables to harvest in space, since they have long germination periods (10-14 days), growth of 90 to 120 days and other periods of development “NASA said.
The images were published by NASA and shared by hundreds of Internet users, who gave many gastronomic tips to the crew and made some jokes about the hot peppers that they had just grown, as they assured that although it is a nutritious and rich food, they would not be able to go to the bathroom if they had to eat only that.
However, the real discussion was the taquiza, as it was astronaut Megan McArthur who posted the progress of the study on Twitter.
“Friday party! After harvesting, we tasted the red and green chili. Then we complete surveys (I have to have the data!). Finally, I made my best space tacos yet: beef fajita, rehydrated tomatoes and artichokes, and HATCH CHILE! ”he told his followers.
And is that weeks before, McArthur had asked users of social networks to help him with ideas on the best way to taste chili peppers.
“Our cooking options are limited, but Do you think we should try them straight from the plant or heat them first in our oven at 180F? ”, He remarked.
NASA astronauts and food processing
The study had many phases to reach the success story. At first the Kennedy Center researchers They sterilized and planted 48 seeds of these chili peppers in the scientific base.
“The spiciness of a pepper is determined by the environmental conditions of cultivation. The combination of microgravity, light quality, temperature and humidity in the root zone will affect the flavor., so it will be interesting to find out how the fruit will grow and mature and what it will taste like ”.
“This is important because the food astronauts eat needs to be as good as the rest of their equipment. To be successful in sending people to Mars and bringing them back to Earth, we are not only going to require the most nutritious foods, but also the foods that taste the best, ”said LaShelle Spencer, head of the scientific team for the PH- project. 04.
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