--- title: "NASA Planning to Grow Chili Peppers on Space Station" description: "NASA has announced the first fruit to be grown in space before the end of this year: the humble Espanola chile pepper (capsicum annuum)." date: "2019-07-17" modified: "2019-07-17" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-grow-chili-peppers-space-station" categories: - "NASA" - "Space" tags: - "astronauts" - "international space station" - "NASA" - "plants" - "the digest" --- # NASA Planning to Grow Chili Peppers on Space Station ![NASA has announced the first fruit to be grown in space before the end of this year: the humble Espanola chile pepper (capsicum annuum).]() *\Image: NASA/Victor Tangermann\* ## Spacey Peppers Crew members aboard the International Space Station have grown plenty of things in the microgravity of orbit before, including romaine lettuce and other vegetables. But now, NASA has announced the first fruit to be grown in space before the end of this year: the humble Española pepper, otherwise known by its Latin name capsicum annuum. The specific chili is relatively easy to grow — it grows at high altitudes and doesn't need much time to grow the chilis themselves. "We were also looking for varieties that don’t grow too tall, and yet are very productive in the controlled environments that we would be using in space," NASA plant physiologist Ray Wheeler [told the *Rio Grande Sun*](). ## Spice of Life The idea is to provide space travelers with nutrition and variety on much longer trips to far away destinations including Mars. "We need to grow enough to supplement diet," Jacob Torres, scientist at NASA, [told *CNN*](). "Just like here on Earth, we can't live on the same thing." While astronauts have plenty of food available to them brought from back home squeezed inside dehydrated packets, freshly grown foods like chili peppers could provide a priceless and very much necessary source of nutrients and vitamins. And of course, it's a lot more exciting to eat. "Just imagine having a fresh pepper to bite into after months of eating cardboard," Torres said. **READ MORE:** [NASA Has Announced The First Fruit They'll Grow on The ISS, And It's Hot]() \[*Science Alert*\] **More on growing stuff in space:** *[Scientists Are Trying to Figure Out How to Grow Grapes on Mars]()* ## 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]()