They achieve the first harvest of chilies in space 0:46
(CNN) --
When SpaceX's 26th commercial resupply mission flies into space on Tuesday, it will bring a host of supplies -- a couple of new solar panels, dwarf tomato seeds, and a variety of science experiments -- to the International Space Station. .
The mission will also deliver Thanksgiving-style ice cream and treats, including spicy green beans, blueberry puddings, pumpkin pie and candy corn, to the space station crew.
The Dragon spacecraft is expected to lift off with its 3,493-kilogram payload from NASA's Kennedy Space Center at 3:54 p.m. ET, with live coverage available on NASA's website beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET.
The International Space Station Deployable Solar Arrays, or iROSA, will be installed outside the floating lab during spacewalks scheduled for November 29 and December 3.
Solar panels will give the space station a power boost.
The loadout includes various health related items such as the Moon Microscope kit.
The portable handheld microscope will allow astronauts to collect and image blood samples to flight surgeons on the ground for diagnosis and treatment.
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Nutrients are a key component to maintaining good health in space.
But fresh produce is in short supply on the space station compared to the prepackaged meals astronauts eat during their six-month stays in low-Earth orbit.
“It is quite important for our exploration goals at NASA to be able to support the crew not only with nutrition, but also to consider various types of plants as nutrient sources that would be difficult to sustain on long journeys between distant destinations like Mars and so on.” said Kirt Costello, chief scientist for NASA's International Space Station Program and deputy manager for the ISS Office of Research Integration.
This is how it is grown in space: a plant is NASA's image of the day
Space chillies will return to Earth with spicy success 0:55
dwarf tomato seeds
Astronauts have grown and tasted different types of lettuce, radishes, and chili peppers on the International Space Station.
Now, crew members can add some dwarf tomatoes, specifically Red Robin tomatoes, to their list of space-grown salad ingredients.
The experiment—known as Pick-and-Eat Salad-Crop Productivity—brings nutritional value and acceptability to complement the ISS food system, is part of an effort to provide continuous fresh food production in space.
The dwarf tomato seeds will be grown under two different light treatments to measure their impact on the number of tomatoes that can be harvested, as well as the nutritional value and flavor of the plants.
Red Robin tomatoes will also be grown on Earth as a control experiment.
The two crops will be compared to measure the effects of the zero gravity environment on tomato growth.
The space tomatoes will be grown inside small bags called plant pillows installed in the Vegetable Production System, known as the Vegetable Growth Chamber, on the space station.
The astronauts will frequently water and nourish the plants as they grow, as well as pollinate the flowers.
"Tomatoes will be a new adventure for us on the Veggie team, trying to figure out how to keep these thirsty plants well watered without overwatering," said Gioia Massa, a NASA space crop production scientist and principal investigator of the study. tomatoes.
NASA plans to retire the International Space Station in 2031 and then crash it into the Pacific Ocean
The tomatoes will be ready for their first taste test in the spring.
The team expects three harvests of tomatoes 90, 97 and 104 days after the plants start growing.
During taste tests, the team will rate the flavor, aroma, juiciness and texture of tomatoes grown under the two different light treatments.
Half of each tomato crop will be frozen and returned to Earth for analysis.
Growing plants on the space station not only provides the opportunity to enjoy fresh food and taco nights, but it can also improve the mood of the crew during their long space flight.
The astronauts will also take surveys to track their mood while caring for and interacting with the plants to see how nurturing the seedlings improves their experience amid the isolation and confinement of the space station.
The hardware is still under development for further crop production on the space station and eventually on other planets, but scientists are already planning which plants might grow best on the Moon and Mars.
Earlier this year, a team successfully grew plants in lunar soil that included samples collected during the Apollo missions.
“Tomatoes are going to be a great crop for the moon,” Massa said.
"They're very nutritious, very delicious, and we think astronauts will be very excited to grow them there."
International Space StationNASA