In a crucial development towards developing a self-sustaining system for living in space, NASA will begin growing vegetables on the International Space Station this December. Dubbed VEGGIE, the small rig, “filled with a material akin to kitty litter,” will grow six romaine lettuce plants, to be tested and eaten back on earth. Apparently, the biggest challenge will be testing for microbes that might taint the plants while in space.
As commenters at The Verge point out, we can only hope this paves the way for the growth of a different kind of cosmic vegetation.
If you're already over that billion pixel image of Mars we showed you yesterday, here's your latest high-res space photo fix: NASA and NOAA created this image of the Earth using something called a "VIIRS sensor," which works kind of like an infrared camera for trees, highlighting any vegetation in lush…
The newest addition to NASAs fleet of spacecraft may be filled with air, as the agency awarded a $17.8 million contract to Bigelow Aerospace to develop an inflatable extension to the International Space Station. Though it sounds a bit like sci-fi fantasy, inflatable space technology is very real, and has…
In August, we noted how researchers from the University of Maryland stirred up some controversy when they said evidence now indicates that the Voyager 1 spacecraft--launched in 1977--has left the Solar System and is cruising around interstellar space complete with a gold plated record detailing man's existence intended for extraterrestrials.…
