Music In August 10th, astronauts on the International Space Station sampled their first space-grown salad, sending up seeds for a small cabbage that is very highly rated for flavor. The next SpaceX delivery will supply some of the seeds. We have additional seeds on board the station, says Masa. These are zineas, really pretty, daisy-like flowers that help us understand longer-duration growing plants that have to flower in space, such as tomato. That kind of enjoyment is expected to be an important added bonus to veggie. On Earth, garden-floor-y battles such foes as cutworms, aphids, slugs, root maggots, blights and rods. But weightlessness is one thing no earthly vegetation encounters. In a weightless environment, there is no up and down, so roots grow in all directions. According to astronaut Scott Kelly's taste buds, this special space-tailored arrangement works. Grown in the veggie plant growth chamber, a special structure designed to make gardens flourish in weightlessness. LEDs furnish light for photosynthesis and give the shoots a sense of direction so they keep growing upward. The walls of the veggie chamber can expand to make room for the growing crop. Terrials used to anchor these plants and allow for root growth tend to float away. With veggie, these problems are solved by using plant pillows. Bags of substrate with space-stirt and controlled release fertilizer. Wicks are implanted in the bags to draw water into the substrate and provide a place to glue the seeds, which are oriented so roots will grow down into the substrate and shoots that emerge will push out of the bag. Mining experiments will use various ratios of red and blue lights and different fertilizers in attempts to improve crop yield, nutrition and flavor both on earth and in space. He explains the importance of growing such culinary delights in space. Having living plants can help with stress and increase the crews' enjoyment. Mining plants can provide the sights, smells and tastes of earth. Fresh, if we're going to Mars someday, there's going to be a long period of time where we're going to have to be self-sufficient and having the ability for us to grow our own food is a big step in that direction. Scottish poet Alexander Smith said it best, how deeply seated in the human heart is the liking for gardens and gardening. Apparently, the same is true of human hearts in space.