BERLIN (AP) — Scientists in Antarctica have harvested their first crop of vegetables grown without earth, daylight or pesticides as part of a project designed to help astronauts cultivate fresh food on other planets. Researchers at Germany’s Neumayer Station III say they’ve picked 3.6 kilograms (8 pounds) of salad greens, 18 cucumbers and 70 radishes grown inside a high-tech greenhouse as temperatures outside dropped below -20 degrees Celsius (-4 Fahrenheit). The German Aerospace Center DLR, which coordinates the project, said Thursday that by May scientists hope to harvest 4-5 kilograms of fruit and vegetables a week. While NASA has successfully grown greens on the International Space Station, DLR’s Daniel Schubert says the Antarctic project aims to produce a wider range of vegetables that might one day be grown on Mars or the Moon.
A crop of vegetables grown without daylight, earth or pesticides has been harvested in Antarctica. The first crops were planted on the continent by a team from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) and the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD). The crop, which was composed of 3.6 kg of salad greens, 18 cucumbers and 70 radishes, was grown inside a high-tech greenhouse. NASA has already grown green vegetables on the International Space Station. However, the DLR project hopes to create a broader range of produce that could potentially be grown on Mars, or the Moon.