European Scientists Are Going to Try to Grow Food in Space

Growing food in space?

Europeans are trying to make it happen.

Norwegian outlet the Local reported Friday that, after working to grow weeds on the International Space Station since 2006, Norwegian scientists are planning to make the jump to growing food crops in zero gravity.

The International Space Station. (Image via Shutterstock)

"One of the big challenges is to administer exactly the right amount of water and nutrients to the plants in such little gravity,” said Ann-Iren Kittang Jost.

Jost, research manager at the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Space (CIRiS) at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim, told Science Nordic that growing food in space is a necessary step towards colonizing the stars.

“I do envision that we can form the basis for food cultivation on the Moon and Mars sometime in the future,” she said.

The 10-year project, funded by the European Union, will be called TIME SCALE, the Local reported, and scientists are considering trying to grow tomatoes, lettuce and soybeans in space.

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