Brazil: Growing vegetables in “space”

Text: Correspondent Iara Siqueira When we talk about growing vegetables, we immediately imagine potatoes, onions, carrots, pumpkins, chayotes, peppers, lettuce, among other varieties. According to data from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), Brazilians consume 27 kilos of vegetables per year. Among the care for planting are the ideal soil, fertilization, pest control, sufficient light, etc. Now imagine having a vegetable plantation in “space”? Well, researchers are working to make this scenario a reality. The experiment investigates the possibility of a future space agriculture. Lettuce, radishes and peppers, avenged in the soil of a type of asteroid, which has phosphorus and potassium in its composition. The astronauts' diet problem started the studies. Space food usually has dehydrated and quick-to-prepare foods on the menu. According to a study published in the Planetary Science Journal, the University of North Dakota, in the United States, was ...