NASA has managed to grow lettuce in space. What he has discovered later was not part of the plan

In the International Space Station they are cultivating lettuce that seem as green as those of any land greenhouse. Astronauts water them with recycled water, illuminate them with pink LED lights and collect them carefully, as if they were the first daily gesture of an interplanetary humanity. It is the perfect image of a self -sufficient future: life making its way in a vacuum. However, the data is telling another story.

A discouraging finding. A study Posted in Nature – Based in NASA’s open scientific repository – he has detected that space crops are losing nutrients while the human body, in microgravity, becomes more fragile.

The analysis shows that the lettuce cultivated in the International Space Station and in the China Tiangong II ship contains between 29 % and 31 % less calcium and about 25 % less magnesium than its land equivalent. Iron appears in variable quantities and potassium, sometimes, shoots.

At first glance, plants seem healthy, but their nutritional value bites. “A space salad can be perfect in the photos, but does not strengthens the bones,” The authors warn. And, in microgravity, the human body already loses bone mass rapidly; A diet with less calcium only accelerates the problem, while the lack of iron aggravates anemia and fatigue.

What is behind. Microgravity alters more than satellite trajectories: it modifies the way in which plants absorb nutrients, distribute water and handle oxidative stress. Antioxidants such as phenolic and carotenoids decrease, leaving plants – already who consume them – with less defense against radiation.

The study detected That species cultivated in orbit produce less protective molecules and more compounds associated with stress, as if plants were in survival mode. That chemical imbalance not only affects the taste, but also its ability to nourish.

A cocktail of deficiencies. But not only plants change, astronauts too. According to NASA Twins Study data and Jaxa experiments, They were recorded Alterations in 163 genes linked to calcium metabolism, responsible for bone formation and immune regulation. Some of these genes behave anomalously in microgravity, which accelerates the loss of bone density and weakens the defenses.

Human sampling analysis also show signs of permeable intestine syndrome or Leaky Gut: The intestinal wall, normally hermetic, becomes porous. Inflammatory molecules are filtered, the nutrients are absorbed worse and the immune system enters into tension. In that context, a diet devoid of iron and antioxidants can multiply exhaustion, cramps and radiation vulnerability. A dangerous combination when each bite counts.

The space database. The work combines decades of astronaut records with the results of agricultural experiments in orbit. From the repositories OSD and Soma From NASA, scientists compared the mineral and antioxidant profiles of spatial crops with those of the earth and crossed them with human biomarkers.

The objective was not only to analyze vegetables, but to understand how cultivated food interacts with a body that changes in microgravity. As explained on the Earth pageThe project is part of NASA’s analysis work groups, which gather researchers and volunteers from all over the world to study nutrition, biology and space health using open data.

Looking for solutions. Even so, the panorama is not entirely discouraging. Scientists are applying bioengineering and biofortification to increase calcium, magnesium and iron content in plants. They also test crops rich in flavonoids such as quercetin – present in onion, broccoli and red lettuce – which protects cells and strengthens bones. According to Earthspecies such as soybeans, garlic or parsley already show natural advantages and could replace lettuce as the basis of the space diet.

Besides, As we explain in Xatakaa team managed to ferment miso at the International Space Station, demonstrating that microbial processes can prosper in orbit. Fermentation not only improves flavor: it strengthens the intestinal microbiota and could help repair the intestinal barrier damaged by microgravity. And on earth, agencies continue to innovate. The Italian Space Agency It is developing A superannan and more nutritious rice, adapted to lunar soils and small spaces. It is the same philosophy proposed by the study: genetically designed crops to survive and feed better.

Beyond plants, researchers also look towards alternative protein sources, Like the cricketscapable of closing ecological cycles in closed systems and providing essential nutrients with a minimum expenditure of resources.

Mars’s challenge. The research is set on the missions to Mars, where each lost nutrient account. The full trip could last three years without refueling, and each food will depend on what is grown on board. If these plants lack calcium or antioxidants, crew health could deteriorate long before landing on the red planet. “Improve orbit nutrition today feels the foundations to survive on Mars tomorrow,” The authors of the study conclude. Space agriculture is not an aesthetic experiment: it is a matter of survival.

Beyond the menu. Cultivating food in space is possible, but it is not yet enough. Plants lose nutrients, the human body changes and solutions advance more slowly than missions. What this study makes it clear is that space agriculture is no longer just about filling stomachs: it is part of the health system of the future.

Biofortification, fermentation, microbiota and personalized nutrition will be as important as rockets or space costumes. Survival outside the earth will depend on both engineering and biology. Perhaps that is the deepest lesson in this finding: that human life – and that of the plants that support it – remains anchored to terrestrial gravity. Each outbreak cultivated in space reminds us where we come from and what we still do not carry with us: the earth itself.

Image | Freepik

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