Scientists harvest 1st vegetables in Antarctic greenhouse

BERLIN (AP) — Scientists in Antarctica have harvested their first crop of vegetables grown without earth, daylight or pesticides as part of a project designed to help astronauts cultivate fresh food on other planets.

Researchers at Germany’s Neumayer Station III say they’ve picked 3.6 kilograms (8 pounds) of salad greens, 18 cucumbers and 70 radishes grown inside a high-tech greenhouse as temperatures outside dropped below -20 degrees Celsius (-4 Fahrenheit).

The German Aerospace Center DLR, which coordinates the project, said Thursday that by May scientists hope to harvest 4-5 kilograms of fruit and vegetables a week.

While NASA has successfully grown greens on the International Space Station, DLR’s Daniel Schubert says the Antarctic project aims to produce a wider range of vegetables that might one day be grown on Mars or the Moon.

Comments (0)

This post does not have any comments. Be the first to leave a comment below.


Post A Comment

You must be logged in before you can post a comment. Login now.

Featured Product

Cree LED J Series® JB3030C E & F Class White LEDs

Cree LED J Series® JB3030C E & F Class White LEDs

Introducing our cutting-edge J Series® JB3030C E & F Class White LEDs, featuring industry-leading LED efficiency up to 242 LPW or 3.33 PPF/W typical. Sharing the same high-reliability package, the two performance options of E & F Class allow luminaire manufacturers to boost performance for high efficacy lighting in outdoor areas, indoor harsh environments and horticulture applications. J Series JB3030C LEDs are an easy design choice: footprint compatible with 301B/H, available LM-80 data, and a full range of color temperatures (2700-6500K) and CRIs (70-80-90). Upgrade your lighting with unmatched performance and durability.