An army marches on its stomach, the saying goes, and astronauts fly on theirs. The success of any mission relies on plentiful, nutritious, and enjoyable food. A growing body of research on the space station looks at ways to improve the food supply as missions increase in length. Station crew members continue to work on two current food-related investigations.
This image was taken during plant harvest from the Veggie production facility for the Veg-04A experiment, part of a series of fresh food experiments that includes HRF Veg. That investigation uses psychological surveys and crew evaluations of the flavor and appeal of plants grown on the space station. Veg-04A will supplement astronauts’ diets with salad greens.
Image Credit: NASA