Winnetnews.com – NASA astronaut, Shane Kimbrough planted chili for the first time on the International Space Station (ISS). Planting chili is part of an experiment conducted in the orbital laboratory.
Quoted from CNN, Shane Kimbrough put 48 chili seeds into the Advanced Plant Habitat, on 12 July. He had previously helped grow red romaine lettuce, you know.
Advanced Plant Habitat or APH is a plant growth facility in the ISS. The size is not big, like an oven in the kitchen.
In order to NASA astronaut those on the Space Station, usually conduct experiments at the facility.
Utilizing 180 sensors and controls for monitoring, the experiment could be controlled from the Kennedy Space Center and eased the work of NASA astronauts.
“This is the first time NASA astronauts have grown chili plants on the ISS from seed to maturity,” NASA explained.
Lead researcher Matt Romeyn said the experiment was the most complex on the ISS.
“We have previously tested dumping to increase the chances of a successful harvest because astronauts have to pollinate chili peppers to grow fruit,” he said.
Before planting, the researchers first evaluated a number of chili varieties for two years, until they finally found the right ones, namely NuMex chilies from New Mexico.
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