New Mexico chile has been growing on the International Space Station, and now, astronauts get to try it after its first harvest.
According to a KOB 4 report, a technical and horticultural scientist from Espanola Jacob Torres plays a vital role in this project in partnership with NASA.
Torres and the other teams involved joined together on Friday for the first harvest of the New Mexico chile. As indicated in this report, seven "Espanola improved" peppers, a cross between the traditional Espanola pepper and Sandia pepper, were harvested. Four will be stored in a freezer and returned to Earth, where the team of Torres will analyze them.
This report specified that the rest of the harvests would be enjoyed in space, not to mention the first fruit to be eaten in orbit. Torres said the initial space was spicy, and there remain ten peppers left for another harvest slated for December.
Astronauts Growing Red and Green Chile Peppers in Space
A CNN report in July 2021 said that astronauts were growing red and green chile peppers in space, which, according to NASA, would be "one of the longest," not to mention the most challenging plant experiments "attempted aboard the orbital lab."
Hatch chile pepper seeds, the news site said, arrived at the station in June via a SpaceX commercial resupply services mission.
Astronaut Shane Kimbrough from NASA, a flight engineer who helped grow in 2016 the "Outredgeous" red romaine lettuce in space, initiated the experiment by inserting more than 40 seeds on July 12 this year, into the Advanced Plant Habitat or APH.
Moreover, a team with the Kennedy Space Center's Exploration Research and Technology programs planted the said seeds in a device known as the "science carrier," slotting into the APH, one of the tree plant growth chambers on the orbiting lab where the astronauts are raising crops.
Approximately the size of a kitchen oven, the APH is the largest facility for plant growth on the ISS. With 180 sensors and controls for monitoring, it enables the experiment to be controlled in part from the Kennedy Space Center in order for the astronauts to spend a shorter time tending to the crops.
First-Time Cultivation of Chile Peppers
In a news release that also came out in July, NASA said it was the first time for NASA astronauts to cultivate a crop of chile peppers on ISS from seeds to maturity.
According to the project's principal investigator Matt Romeyn, the experiment is one of the most multifaceted plant experiments on the ISS due to the long germination and growing periods.
Romey also said they have previously tested flowering to increase the chance for a successful harvest since astronauts will need to pollinate the peppers to cultivate fruit.
This experiment was carried out after astronauts began to grow zinnias in 2015. This development is called a "precursor to grow longer-period, fruit-bearing flowering crops" by NASA.
Landing on 'Espanola Improved' Pepper
Researchers spent two years analyzing more than two dozen pepper varieties and ultimately landed on the NuMex "Espanola Improved" pepper, as mentioned, a hybrid Hatch pepper from New Mexico.
While astronauts have harvested veggies before, like radishes and lettuce, such an experiment could provide astronauts with something to satisfy their fatigue.
According to Romeyn, crew members may opt for spicy or seasoned food as they can temporarily lose their sense of smell or taste living in microgravity.
Prior to this New Mexico chile harvest, the said CNN report specified that the peppers should be ready for harvesting in roughly three-and-a-half months. After eating, some of the crew are planning to send the rest of Earth for assessment.
Report about the harvest of New Mexico chile in space is shown on KRQE's YouTube video below:
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