After lettuce, astronauts now planning to grow beans in space in 2021

London, Jan 7: A new research report published in the journal Life has revealed that after cultivating lettuce in space three years ago, astronauts the International Space Station are now planning to grow beans in 2021.

The beans could be planted in high-tech planters developed at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). The planters can regulate all the water, nutrients, gas and air the plants need.

During the study, researchers performed three experiments to determine the effectiveness of growing beans in space. In the first two experiments, researchers determined the effectiveness of restricted rooting- and nutrient solution volumes, and from the results obtained, a third experiment was conducted to assess plant responses to nitrate nutrient solutions.

In the International Space Station, beans would be placed in a centrifuge. This centrifuge will be rotated continuously, and it will result in the creation of small gravity in the ISS.

If this becomes a success, it would help scientists to solve the problem of food scarcity, especially during manned Mars missions which may take years to complete.