--- title: "NASA Astronauts Harvest Space Peppers, Make Zero-G Tacos" description: "Astronauts on board the International Space Station were treated to a very special meal: space tacos made with the first peppers ever grown in space." date: "2021-11-02" modified: "2021-11-02" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-astronauts-space-pepper-tacos" categories: - "NASA" - "Space" tags: - "international space station" - "iss" - "NASA" - "the digest" --- # NASA Astronauts Harvest Space Peppers, Make Zero-G Tacos ![Astronauts on board the International Space Station were treated to a very special meal: space tacos made with the first peppers ever grown in space.]() *\Image: NASA\* ## Spicy Success Yet another crop that future long-distance space explorers can count on for sustenance. Astronauts on board the International Space Station were treated to a very special meal: space tacos, made with the first peppers to have ever been grown in space. "Ah, the taste of spicey \[sic\] success!" read a [tweet]() by the official ISS research account. "Friday Feasting!" NASA astronaut Megan McArthur [wrote in a Twitter post](), noting that the result was "my best space tacos yet: fajita beef, rehydrated tomatoes & artichokes, and HATCH CHILE!" https://twitter.com/Astro_Megan/status/1454190385190907912 ## Peppers in Space The peppers were part of [NASA's Plant Habitat-04 experiment](), the first time chile peppers were cultivated on board the orbital outpost — or anywhere in space, as far as we can tell. They grew for roughly four months before being harvested last week. More of the peppers will be sent back to Earth for analysis. "It is one of the most complex plant experiments on the station to date because of the long germination and growing times," Matt Romeyn, principal investigator for PH-04, said in a [July statement](). According to a [follow-up tweet]() by the ISS research team, "another crop of chiles will be grown and harvested by the Crew-3 astronauts," referring to the crew of four [heading to the space station]() on board a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft this weekend. ## Hand Pollination Despite peppers being self-pollinating, teams at NASA's Kennedy Space Center instructed the Advanced Plant Habitat to blow a fan at the pepper plants' flowers in order to transfer the pollen, according to an [update last month](). Astronauts also got involved, hand pollinating some of the flowers. Scientists will now investigate what kind of effects microgravity had on the plants and peppers. The peppers were meant to be flown back down to Earth on Sunday, but the Crew-3 mission had to be [delayed due to a "medical issue]()." **T**he experiment proves once and for all that humans will be able to have some spice to their food — even while venturing to the far reaches of the solar system. **READ MORE:** [Astronaut makes zero-g tacos with 1st chile peppers grown in space. They look delicious.]() \[*Space.com*\] **More on the ISS:** *[Russia Admits Defeat, Says It’ll Launch Cosmonauts on SpaceX Spacecraft]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()