This space-grown lettuce could be the key to a future trip to Mars

space lettuce
(Image credit: NASA)

Forget noshing on freeze-dried ice cream when up in space. On Monday, the crew of the International Space Station will taste the first-ever space-grown veggie: red romaine lettuce.

This is technically the second batch of lettuce that's been harvested since ISS started growing lettuce seeds underneath an LED light bank, but the first that astronauts will actually get to taste. The batch produced in May was sent back to Earth for tests to ensure the space vegetables were safe to eat.

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