--- title: "Good News: Space Lettuce Is Safe to Eat, Good for You" description: "According to a new study, lettuce grown in space isn't just delicious, it's just as nutritious and safe to eat as boring-old Earth lettuce as well." date: "2020-03-06" modified: "2020-03-07" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/space-lettuce-safe-good" categories: - "Science & Energy" tags: - "international space station" - "iss" - "space grown lettuce" - "the digest" --- # Good News: Space Lettuce Is Safe to Eat, Good for You ![According to a new study, lettuce grown in space isn't just delicious, it's just as nutritious and safe to eat as boring-old Earth lettuce as well.]() *\Image: NASA/Victor Tangermann\* ## Space Lettuce According to a [study]() published in the journal *Frontiers in Plant Science,* lettuce grown in space isn't just delicious — it's also just as nutritious and safe to eat as boring old Earth lettuce. "The ability to grow safe, fresh food to supplement packaged foods of astronauts in space has been an important goal for NASA," reads the paper. ## Green Zone After an thorough examination of lettuce grown on board the International Space Station (ISS), the researchers concluded that it showed barely any differences compared to Earth-grown lettuce — except for negligible shifts in the content of certain metals, including iron, potassium, and zinc. Astronauts cultivated lettuce on the ISS between 2014 and 2016. A NASA control back on Earth replicated the exact conditions to compare later. The results were encouraging: the two lettuces were almost exactly the same, down to the microbial communities found on the plants. ## Gravity Garden Growing lettuce, however, is far easier than other veggies. "Tomatoes and peppers, which we hope to grow this year and next, will need similar growing conditions," lead author and Kennedy Space Center researcher Christina Khodadad [told *Astronomy*](). "But because they take a lot longer to grow (28 days versus 80 days), they are much more of an investment of time and resources." **READ MORE:** [Before we settle Mars, scientists must perfect growing space salad]() \[*Astronomy*\] **More on space veggies:** *[NASA Planning to Grow Chili Peppers on Space Station]()* ## 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]()