The team of Chinese astronauts was able to grow tomatoes and lettuce leaves aboard the Tiangong space station. They have now brought these products back to Earth for further study and comparison.
According to Space.com, astronauts from China's Shenzhou-16 mission successfully returned to Earth on October 31 after spending five months on the Tiangong space station.
In July, the team planted lettuce seeds, and in August, cherry tomatoes and green onions. Two sets of specialized equipment were used for this purpose.
“This vegetable cultivation device is an important part of the entire ecological control and life support system, and it is used in space to test relevant technologies,” Chinese scientists noted.
The Chinese Astronaut Training and Research Center used similar equipment on Earth to grow the same crops. Comparing the growth of plants aboard the space station with similar samples on Earth will help researchers understand the impact of microgravity on agricultural crops.
China's space mission to grow crops beyond Earth is one of the key aspects of the country's ambition to send astronauts on long-duration space journeys. China plans to send its astronauts to the Moon in 2030 and then establish an International Lunar Research Station there.
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