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China’s Tiangong space station may only be a fraction of the size of the International Space Station — but its three modules have nonetheless provided scientists with invaluable real estate to conduct some groundbreaking research over the last five years.
The T-shaped orbital outpost can house up to six taikonauts, features two labs, and will soon even be joined by a massive, Hubble-like space telescope.
It also features a small aeroponic cultivation system that works by watering plants with a fine mist of nutrients, thereby greatly reducing the amount of water it needs compared to conventional, soil-based cultivation and hydroponics.
Now crew on board the station are ready to harvest the literal fruits of their labor. As state-run news network Global Times reports, astronauts plucked a “bumper crop” of “space tomatoes” from vines that were grown inside the system.
Previously released footage shows the presumably hungry astronauts showing off small vines loaded with yellow and red cherry tomatoes inside a box-like growing environment. The roots can be monitored through small windows as they’re being misted by the solution. A specially designed full-spectrum LED panel provides the plants with the light they need.
Chinese Astronauts to Expand In-Orbit Menu as Space-Grown Tomatoes Ready for Harvest
Tomatoes are only the beginning. According to Global News, the crew will soon try to grow wheat, carrots, and medicinal plants as well, to further investigate the capabilities of the space cultivation system.
Researchers hope the experiment could help inform long-duration missions into deep space, giving future space travelers a way of growing their own sustenance on their way to faraway destinations.
Separate experiments on board the space station have already yielded space-grown lettuce as well. Astronauts have also planted green onions.
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