NASA Is Growing Space Vegetables On The International Space Station

Including a rather handsome Romaine lettuce.

This is astronaut Steve Swanson, and the first ever ROMAINE LETTUCE FROM SPACE.

Image Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

The lettuce seeds were sent up from Cape Canaveral and grown inside the vegetable production system (known as "Veggie") aboard the ISS.

Image Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Veggie is a low-cost plant chamber with a flat-panel light bank to help the plants to grow. It's designed to serve as an astronaut food source – and a science experiment.

NASA/Koichi Wakata

"The farther and longer humans go away from Earth, the greater the need to be able to grow plants for food and atmosphere recycling," said Dr. Gioia Massa, Veggie's science team leader.

Image Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

"Plant systems will become important components of any long-duration exploration scenario."

Image Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Veggie is also our planet's highest vegetable garden. *FUTURISTIC LASER NOISES*

Image Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Learn more about how Veggie was set up in this NASA video.

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