Chinese astronauts could be set to enjoy an upgraded diet in the future as the crew members of the Shenzhou-21 mission get ready to reap a bountiful harvest of freshly-grown tomatoes from their very own in-orbit vegetable garden aboard the Tiangong space station.
Amid the ongoing Spring Festival holiday, which sees millions of Chinese gather for family reunions and enjoy grand festive dinners to welcome the Chinese New Year back on Earth, the astronauts in space may soon be able to tuck into some tasty foods of their own, as their prized tomatoes enter their ripe season.
The three crew members had already enjoyed something of a first in space when they indulged in a special space barbecue after bringing a hot-air oven to space back in November, sharing in a mouthwatering meat feast with the predecessor crew of Shenzhou-20 during their brief handover period aboard the space station.
Now, however, they are focusing their efforts on healthier ingredients. So far, 10 batches of seven plant species, including lettuce, cherry tomatoes and sweet potatoes, have been cultivated at the space station, providing astronauts with more fresh fruits and vegetables and the chance for a much more balanced nutrition intake during their six-month-long mission.
Astronaut Zhang Hongzhang introduced the unique sci-fi looking contraption which is being used to carefully cultivate the cherry tomatoes.
"This tomato cultivation device is called 'water aeroponic cultivation' and was developed by a research team from the China Astronaut Research and Training Center (CARTC). It can significantly increase the utilization rate of water through water evaporation. On the other hand, an LED spectrum has been specially customized, which can significantly improve the efficiency of energy utilization. As a result, we can see a thriving picture of space tomatoes growing," said Zhang.
The cultivation device had been carried to the space station by the Tianzhou-9 cargo craft in July last year. It is mainly used to verify key technologies for efficient plant aeroponic cultivation in a microgravity environment.
"Currently in orbit, we take care of it and record its growing data every day. While providing valuable planting data in orbit, it will be of very good reference value to the cultivation of space crops in later missions," said astronaut Wu Fei.
Relying on the cultivation device, researchers can systematically carry out research on multiple subjects such as in-orbit efficient plant cultivation, fruit and vegetable production and evaluation in space, atmospheric regeneration capacity and efficiency, and in-orbit plant care models.
The aeroponic cultivation experiments are also planned to be carried out on wheat, carrots and medicinal and edible plants in the future.
Launched into space on Oct 31 last year, the Shenzhou-21 crew is now over 100 days into its six-month space mission. All tasks including scientific experiments, equipment maintenance and health management are progressing smoothly, according to China's space agency -- China National Space Administration.
Chinese astronauts to expand in-orbit menu as space-grown tomatoes ready for harvest
Chinese astronauts to expand in-orbit menu as space-grown tomatoes ready for harvest
