a new report was announced on scientific report All plans for food grown in space, like lettuce and other leafy vegetables, could change. While essential for providing astronauts with the nutrients they need during their stay outside of Earth’s atmosphere, these grown plants are apparently much more susceptible to bacteria like Salmonella, the study shows. states.
This research University of Delawareand has raised some concerns about possible plans to use food grown in space on deep space exploration missions, such as NASA’s future human mission to Mars.
If this report is true, food grown in space like leafy vegetables is likely to acquire bacteria, making it a dangerous threat to astronauts as more people are sent into space in the coming decades. There is a possibility that
Although it is not technically possible to test how plants grow in microgravity on Earth, researchers used special equipment to recreate the zero-gravity environment found on the International Space Station. This also serves as a precursor to how humans will live in space.
Using this zero-gravity system to trick plants into thinking gravity doesn’t exist, the researchers found that the lettuce plants were more likely to have open stomata. Stomata are small holes in leaves and stems that normally close when a plant senses the need for them. Protect yourself.
These stomata usually close when approached by stressors such as bacteria. However, scientists have discovered that when plants experience a zero-gravity environment like space, their stomata do not close, making plants more susceptible to bacterial infections.
Since bacteria are likely to be present on the ISS and other space-enclosed environments, this is very problematic for food grown in space, especially if other plants exhibit the same traits in a zero-gravity environment. .
Perhaps researchers can find some way to make stomata work in zero gravity. But until then, eating any type of leafy vegetable grown in space could pose significant risks for astronauts.