Locally grown tomatoes… in space

"Locally grown tomatoes in space," it almost sounds like a contradiction, but it might well be true someday. German scientists are trying to grow tomatoes in a satellite.

For astronauts, confined to a tiny module for extended periods of time, fresh food is crucial. But until now that has always been a problem. "Sucking up your meal through a straw is no picnic," says Michael Lebert of the German research team. "Fresh fruit is not only important to ones health, it brightens up the meal too."

In 2016, scientists will launch a satellite into space, or actually a cylinder containing two small greenhouses. The tomatoes are to be grown with water and synthetic urine, which is converted into fertilizer by algae and bacteria. Slow rotation provides artificial gravity.

The system is very well thought out, but also susceptible to defects, says biologist Henning Iversen of the University of Trondheim. He believes that the project is important and promising, but that technological problems are practically inevitable; problems which are beyond the scope of designers during the experiment. "You need to make sure that the technology that works on Earth, also works in space," he says. "Especially when the satellite is in a year-long orbit around the earth. We can’t very well send over a maintenance guy to water the plants."