From NASA Astronauts to Space Farmers, First Bite of Red Lettuce Unveiled

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It seems like NASA astronauts can now add space farmers to their curriculum vitae as the Americans have shown everyone from the International Space Station their dinner of red romaine lettuce that has been grown and harvested in space.

According to ABC News, the produce has come from NASA's "greenhouse" called Veg-01 experiment, which is where they study how plants can grow in orbit to give astronauts the possibility of growing and making their own meals while on a mission in space.

Scott Kelly, one of the American astronauts, describes the lettuce as good and tastes like arugula. They have first eaten the produce raw then added balsamic vinegar and olive oil to make a salad. The astronaut said the possibility of bringing in their own produce can be helpful when their potential trip to Mars occurs in the future. Kelly adds that as it may be a long term project, astronauts will need to find something make them self-sufficient.

"That's awesome!" @astro_kjell on his first bite of space-grown produce. #NASAVEGGIE pic.twitter.com/AoGLo45Ub0

— ISS Research (@ISS_Research) August 10, 2015

NASA's lead scientist for the study and activities of advanced life support at the Kennedy Space in Florida, Ray Wheeler, said having the ability to produce and harvest fresh food that are rich in antioxidants can help boost the astronauts' mood and protect them from space radiation, reports Hindustan Times.

The seeds of the red romaine lettuce has been contained in rooting pillows and have been activated by Kelly last July 8. It has been cultivating and growing for the past 33 days before today's harvest. The "consumption event" has been aired on NASA television and has been highly anticipated by all the astronauts.

This has been the first time people will actually consume produce harvested in space, Gawker writes. Last October, a bunch of the same vegetables have been harvested and have been sent to Earth to be tested for food safety and sanitation. NASA has reported back that the harvest is safe for consumption.

Alexandra Whitmire of the "Behavioral Health and Performance Research" for NASA's Human Research Program has stated that the Veg-01 experiment is the only experiment they are conducting for the evaluation of plant life grown in space on human beings.