First harvest of fresh radishes on the International Space Station

According to a recent report by CNN, NASA flight engineers recently pulled out 20 radishes grown in an advanced plant culture environment on the International Space Station and wrapped them in tinfoil so they could be refrigerated until next year.

According to an instruction sheet released by NASA, radishes were successfully grown and harvested for the first time in a zero-gravity environment.

"I've been involved with this project since the beginning, and what we've learned from it will help astronauts travel safely to and from Mars," said Nicole Dufour, senior plant culture environment program manager at NASA's Kennedy Space Center

The researchers also planted turnips at the Kennedy Space Center as a control group, which is expected to be harvested on Dec.

For astronauts on long-duration missions, radishes have many advantages as a food source: radishes grow fast and can reach full maturity in 27 days

The researchers will analyze the effect of carbon dioxide on radishes and how well these vegetables acquire minerals, said Carl Hasenstein, lead researcher on the project

"Growing a range of crops will help us determine which plants will thrive in microgravity and provide the best variety and balanced nutrition for astronauts on long-term space missions,