NASA recently launched the Orion spacecraft, a major step in testing the possibility of sending human missions to Mars. Along with this, the question arises: What will the astronauts eat and what foods will assist future missions?
NASA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) together are developing plants that can grow, thrive and produce in new environments—signaling opportunities for fresh, nutrition-rich food for astronauts on long duration space flights, according to the USDA.
USDA and NASA researchers are developing together the technology and biotechnology of dwarf plants, designed to fit in small spaces and produce fruit continually—not seasonally. Also, they are working on growing plants without soil and with minimal water.
USDA and NASA cross paths in many ways. Through satellite imagery provided by NASA, USDA can make better drought and flood predictions and help forecast global food supplies. Working with USDA, NASA has developed new varieties of plants.