Don Pettit grows potato on International Space Station
Updated
Updated · Zamin · Apr 26
Don Pettit grows potato on International Space Station
10 articles · Updated · Zamin · Apr 26
The NASA astronaut named it “Spudnik” and used a tiny lit greenhouse, adhesive tape and a beverage container for the microgravity experiment.
Pettit said inspiration came from The Martian, while the potato developed unusual “wrong-way roots” that grew upward rather than downward in weightlessness.
Scientists see potatoes as a practical, nutritious crop that could support future food production systems on the Moon, Mars and deep-space missions.
A space potato's roots grew upwards. Can we truly overcome the fundamental challenges of farming on Mars?
Is NASA's space farming research ultimately for feeding future Martians or for solving food crises on Earth?