{"id":19622,"date":"2015-08-10T21:15:11","date_gmt":"2015-08-10T13:15:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/space-station-crew-chows-down-on-fresh-outredgeous-lettuce-and-so-can-you\/"},"modified":"2015-08-10T21:15:11","modified_gmt":"2015-08-10T13:15:11","slug":"space-station-crew-chows-down-on-fresh-outredgeous-lettuce-and-so-can-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/space-station-crew-chows-down-on-fresh-outredgeous-lettuce-and-so-can-you\/","title":{"rendered":"Space station crew chows down on fresh Outredgeous lettuce \u2026 and so can you"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Lettuce
Japan\u2019s Kimiya Yui (at left) joins NASA\u2019s Kjell Lindgren and Scott Kelly in sampling space-grown Outredgeous red romaine lettuce. (Credit: NASA TV)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Astronauts on the International Space Station ate space-grown lettuce for the first time today \u2014 an Oregon-bred variety of \u201cOutredgeous\u201d red romaine that\u2019s perfectly suited for outer space as well as the Pacific Northwest.<\/p>\n

\u201cNobody is more surprised that Outredgeous went into space than I am,\u201d Frank Morton, the founder of Wild Garden Seed in Philomath, Oregon, told GeekWire.<\/p>\n

<\/span> Nobody is more surprised that Outredgeous went into space than I am.<\/span><\/p>\n

Morton developed the romaine variety back in the 1990s, when he was supplying greens for local restaurants. The leaves are so red that the first buyers found it hard to believe it was actually lettuce. But the taste quickly won over those who tried it, including the spacefliers who snipped off the leaves today and sampled them with a dab of extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s awesome,\u201d NASA astronaut Kjell Lindgren said.<\/p>\n

\u201cTastes good \u2026 kinda like arugula,\u201d said NASA crewmate Scott Kelly, who is in the midst of a yearlong stint on the space station.<\/p>\n

\"Harvesting
NASA astronaut Kjell Lindgren uses a scissors to harvest red romaine lettuce with a helping hand from crewmate Scott Kelly. (Credit: NASA TV)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

NASA scientists selected Outredgeous for its Veggie plant-growing experiment in part because it\u2019s tasty, nutritious and easy to grow. But one additional advantage turned out to be the clincher, Morton said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat they were really looking for were salad plants that were \u2018clean\u2019 \u2014 that is to say, had the least microbial growth on the leaves. \u2026 Outredgeous had the lowest microbial count of anything they looked at,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The Veggie chamber was developed in cooperation with Wisconsin-based Orbitec to grow plants in zero-G without having to worry about soil or water floating free in zero-G.<\/p>\n

The seeds and the soil are packed inside a rooting pillow made of Teflon-coated Kevlar and Nomex, and water is delivered via a self-contained wicking system. The first lettuce crop was grown last year and tested for suitability. This crop, which took 33 days to mature, is the first to be taste-tested in orbit.<\/p>\n