In r/space, a highly upvoted astronaut post turns off-duty ISS time into a relatable “space garden” experiment, framing potatoes as practical future space food and a cultural nod to The Martian.
I flew potatoes on Expedition 72 for my space garden, an activity I did in my off-duty time.
This is an early purple potato, complete with spot of hook Velcro to anchor it in my improvised grow light terrarium.
Potatoes are one of the most efficient plants based on edible nutrition to total plant mass (including roots).
Recognized by Andy Weir in his famous book/movie "The Martian," potatoes will have a place in future exploration of space.
So I thought it good to get started now!
This finding is one of many signals tracked across Space. The live feed updates every few hours with new authority voices, debates, and emerging ideas.
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