Astronauts may no longer rely on the processed, pre-packaged food in space , they may grow their own. Researchers have successfully grown nutritious and safe lettuce on a space station. They raised the crops for one to two months in specially designed chambers containing LED lighting and a watering system and continuously monitored their conditions. Once found safe to eat, the astronauts got to eat half of them while the other half was sent to Earth for analysis. The space-grown lettuces were found richer in elements such as potassium, sodium, phosphorous and other essential nutrients. The researchers will continue their research and are now keen on growing small fruit crops such as peppers and dwarf tomatoes.
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