Scientists noted that the growth of vegetables on the ISS turned out to be less significant than those grown on earth
NEW YORK, October 6. /TASS/. For the first time, US astronauts were able to grow peppers aboard the International Space Station (ISS) as part of an experiment that began on July 12. This was announced on Tuesday by the Space Center. John F. Kennedy of the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in his Twitter.
"Houston, we [have] pepper! Chili pepper plants grown on the ISS have recently borne fruit. The flowers were pollinated remotely by employees at the John F. Kennedy Center and with the help of NASA astronauts. Keep an eye on the harvest later this year," the message says, which is accompanied by a photo of a green fruit.
Studies of the development of plant fruits in microgravity are limited, and NASA scientists noted that the growth of the fruit on the ISS turned out to be less significant than those grown on earth. The reasons for this are not yet fully understood, according to a message on the website of the American Space Agency.
"Overcoming problems with growing plants in microgravity is important for long-term missions in which crew members will need a good source of vitamin C, such as pepper," NASA explained.
It is noted that not all pollinated flowers have developed into fruits. American astronauts will harvest twice, the first time after 100 days of the experiment at the end of October, the second time after 120 days in early November. After processing, some of the peppers will go to food, the other will be sent to the Ground for research.
On July 12, NASA astronaut Megan MacArthur announced the start of the Plant Habitat-04 pepper growing experiment.
