BERLIN (AP) Scientists in Antarctica have harvested their first crop of vegetables grown without earth, daylight or pesticides as part of a project designed to help astronauts cultivate fresh food on other planets.
Researchers at Germanys Neumayer Station III say theyve picked 8 pounds of salad greens, 18 cucumbers and 70 radishes grown inside a high-tech greenhouse as temperatures outside dropped below -4 Fahrenheit.
The German Aerospace Center DLR, which coordinates the project, said today that by May scientists hope to harvest 8-11 pounds of fruit and vegetables a week.
While NASA has successfully grown greens on the International Space Station, DLRs Daniel Schubert says the Antarctic project aims to produce a wider range of vegetables that might one day be grown on Mars or the Moon.
