This Purple ‘Alien’ on the ISS is Actually the Future of Mars Missions

Astronaut Don Pettit not too long ago shared a photograph of a tentacled purple object that set social media ablaze. But this is removed from an extraterrestrial risk; it is really an earthly deal with.

The “alien” is really a potato. Specifically, it is a purple tuber nicknamed Spudnik-1, grown and photographed by Pettit. While the photograph seems like a sci-fi horror prop, it really represents the entrance line of human survival: a proof-of-concept for a journey to Mars.

Spudnik 1

Don Pettit, NASA’s oldest lively astronaut and a veteran of 4 area missions, has spent a complete of 590 days in orbit. While his day job includes high-stakes upkeep and analysis for Expedition 72, his area backyard has turn out to be a key facet undertaking.

Pettit’s alternative of crop is not unintentional. As popularized by Andy Weir’s The Martianpotatoes are one of the most effective sources of vitamin relative to their whole plant mass. In a publish on xPettit mentioned the significance of potatoes for future exploration, but in addition emphasised that the area backyard was an off-duty undertaking.

“Spudnik-1, an orbiting potato on the International Space Station. I flew potatoes on Expedition 72 for my space garden, an activity I did in my off-duty time. This is an early purple potato, complete with a spot of hook Velcro to anchor it in my improvised grow light terrarium,” Pettit stated.

The look of the potato (which Pettit himself additionally shared on instagram and reddit) additionally spurred discussions.

The potato’s “tentacles” are merely sprouts reaching out for vitamins. On Earth, gravity tells roots to go down and stems to go up. In area, they’re confused. They develop in wild, spindly instructions, reaching for any mild supply they’ll discover. Pettit used a hydroponic system, which implies the potato grew in nutrient-rich water as an alternative of dust.

This is not Pettit’s first rodeo with area greens. Pettit famously wrote a weblog referred to as Diary of a Space Zucchini throughout a earlier mission. He has additionally grown sunflowers, broccoli, and even peanuts. He as soon as even used earplugs as makeshift soil to sprout basil and tomato seedlings. Why? Because Pettit is aware of what each explorer since Columbus has identified: you possibly can solely go so far as your meals will take you.

Is It Easy to Grow Food in Space?

Growing meals on Earth is easy and we have performed it for 1000’s of years. But in area, issues aren’t practically as easy.

Currently, each calorie an astronaut eats needs to be launched from Earth. Shipping a gallon of water or a pound of beef to the ISS is costly. Shipping it to Mars is astronomical. A mission to the Red Planet will take roughly three years and also you simply cannot pack sufficient meals. It would merely be too heavy and ponderous.

To reside on the Moon or Mars, we should turn out to be farmers. In addition to their dietary worth, these potatoes have one other necessary profit. The purple colour comes from excessive ranges of anthocyanins — the similar antioxidants present in blueberries. In area, radiation is a continuing risk to human DNA. Eating antioxidants like these present a pure inner protect for astronauts. The purple potato is basically a scrumptious, edible drugs.

Interestingly, Pettit noticed no noticeable impact from radiation on the potatoes themselves. This is an enormous win for long-duration missions. If crops can face up to the cosmic rays that bombard the ISS, it simplifies the shielding necessities for future Martian greenhouses. Basically, the ISS is a stepping stone for rising stuff on Mars.

The Psychology of a Space Garden

In addition to consuming the potatoes, there’s one other profit; a really human one.

The ISS is an engineered dwelling area. It smells like ozone, stale air, and antiseptic. It appears like the fixed hum of followers and pumps. There is no wind, no rain, and no scent of earth. Astronauts typically report a deep, aching starvation for the nature. Psychologically, lengthy area journeys will be extraordinarily taxing.

Gardening gives a psychological anchor to Earth. It reduces stress and provides astronauts a way of stewardship, one thing to take care of in a spot the place all the things else is chilly and mechanical. It’s not a lot, however rising a vegetable in area looks like extra than simply rising a vegetable. It looks like a connection to dwelling.

The challenges stay important. Research reveals that vegetation develop slower in microgravity. They expertise stress, very similar to people do. Their root programs battle to breathe in water that does not drain and so they must battle off larger ranges of radiation. But each space-grown spud brings us nearer to buying and selling vacuum-sealed rations for a recent Martian harvest.