{"id":266402,"date":"2025-11-16T17:29:09","date_gmt":"2025-11-16T17:29:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/266402\/"},"modified":"2025-11-16T17:29:09","modified_gmt":"2025-11-16T17:29:09","slug":"nasa-learns-space-lettuce-is-not-a-solution-for-feeding-astronauts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/266402\/","title":{"rendered":"NASA learns space lettuce is not a solution for feeding astronauts"},"content":{"rendered":"

A NASA affiliated study analyzed lettuce grown on the International Space Station<\/a> and China\u2019s Tiangong II. It found that the crop carries about 30 percent less calcium than Earth lettuce.<\/p>\n

This matters because crews headed for Mars will live on stored meals and fresh harvests for years. Bones already lose calcium in microgravity, a weightless environment where fluids shift and cells sense little pull from gravity.<\/p>\n

What happened to the lettuce
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The research compared space leaves to ground controls grown under the same light and timing. Mineral tests showed clear shifts between the two sets.<\/p>\n

The work was led by B. Barbero Barcenilla at Texas A&M University<\/a>. The research focuses on space nutrition and how plant and human biology change in orbit.<\/p>\n

Calcium and magnesium fell in orbit, potassium often rose, and iron varied. These shifts were documented in an ISS lettuce analysis that measured minerals and plant antioxidants.<\/p>\n

NASA\u2019s Plant Habitat 07 is now testing how water levels shape growth, nutrients, and the plant microbiome. The ground team harvested Outredgeous romaine for control.<\/p>\n

Why microgravity bends plant nutrition<\/p>\n

Spaceflight changes how roots move water and pull minerals, which can scramble cell chemistry. One result is lower phenolics, small antioxidant molecules that help plants handle oxidative stress.<\/p>\n

In one veggie run on station, total phenolics dropped while overall antioxidant capacity stayed steady. That pattern suggests stress responses, not just a simple loss of food quality.<\/p>\n

The synthesis team also flagged carotenoid shortfalls, pigments that support vision and immunity. Fewer carotenoids mean less built in protection for leaves under radiation and bright light.<\/p>\n

Space<\/a> lettuce is not weaker across the board. Potassium stayed stable on the ISS and ran higher on Tiangong II, showing a nutrient mix that shifts rather than a flat decline.<\/p>\n

Astronaut health is part of the same loop<\/p>\n

The same analysis reviewed 163 calcium related genes and found several that changed during flight. That pattern tracked with higher bone turnover markers measured in space.<\/p>\n

Emerging evidence points to leaky gut, a more permeable intestinal wall that lets irritants slip into blood. A recent review<\/a> ties astronaut and rodent data to barrier problems during missions.<\/p>\n

In the NASA Twins Study, Northwestern researchers saw the gut microbiome shift and then rebound after landing.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Scientists emphasized that missions to Mars<\/a> cannot proceed safely without a deeper understanding of how spaceflight affects both the human body and the microbes that travel alongside astronauts.<\/p>\n

If fresh crops bring less calcium and fewer antioxidants, diet alone will not offset bone loss. That is a tight spot for crews living months beyond low Earth orbit.<\/p>\n

What NASA is testing next<\/p>\n

One path is biofortification, breeding or engineering plants to carry extra minerals useful to crews. Researchers also outline targeted supplements for the gaps most likely to emerge.<\/p>\n

Another tactic is to grow leaves and herbs naturally rich in flavonoids. Soybean sprouts, parsley, and garlic are candidates for early trials in station greenhouses.<\/p>\n

NASA is also closing cultivation gaps that make minerals swing. Plant Habitat 07 will map moisture control so roots can take up nutrients without stress spikes.<\/p>\n

Crews will not eat leaves alone. Fermented foods can carry vitamins, amino acids, and living microbes that train the immune system.<\/p>\n

Microbes can help carry the load<\/p>\n

A 30 day experiment<\/a> fermented miso and returned a safe, flavorful paste. The batch tasted nuttier and showed unique microbial and genetic signatures in orbit.<\/p>\n

Space fermentation does more than season dinner. It proves that friendly microbes can work in microgravity, which strengthens the case for yogurt-like or miso-like foods onboard.<\/p>\n

Properly designed ferments may also support gut barrier health. That could counter risks flagged in the astronaut permeability review.<\/p>\n

Together, leaves plus ferments offer a flexible way to add nutrients without heavy supplies. Every extra gram produced onboard is a gram not launched from Earth.<\/p>\n

What this means for Mars missions<\/p>\n

A crew bound for Mars<\/a> will eat stored food for months, then lean on station farms. If those crops show lower mineral payloads, health margins shrink.<\/p>\n

Calcium losses in food stack onto bone losses in flight. That double hit can raise fracture risk and fatigue if menus do not adapt.<\/p>\n

Menus will need redundancy and monitoring. Flight surgeons and horticulturists can treat food like a medical system, not just a pantry.<\/p>\n

With better cultivars, tuned lighting, and measured ferments, crew diets can recover lost ground. The task now is to turn careful lab plans into everyday meals.<\/p>\n

Designing resilient space farms<\/p>\n

Teams can start by defining bioavailability, the share of a nutrient the body can absorb. Plant choices should reflect absorption first, not raw content.<\/p>\n

Sensors should track minerals and phenolics at each harvest. Real time metrics will catch problems before they reach a plate.<\/p>\n

Growth systems should practice targeted watering, salinity control, and staged harvests. That steadies roots and keeps stress chemistry from overwhelming nutrition.<\/p>\n

The study is published in NPJ Microgravity<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Check us out on EarthSnap<\/a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls<\/a> and Earth.com.<\/p>\n

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