The salad grown on board of the International Space Station has as many useful elements as a salad from Earth.

In 2014, NASA delivered the Veggie system to the ISS. It is an artificial lighting device that has a watering and ventilation system for growing plants. From 2014 to 2016, three batches of lettuce, as well as flower and mustard, were grown with the help of Veggie.

A portion of the ripe crop was wrapped in foil, frozen to -80 ° C and shipped to Earth. At the same time, on Earth, scientists have also grown salad using Veggie.

Researchers have conducted a microbiological analysis of lettuce and found that in the salad of space bacteria a little more, but it is still safe for consumption. In the future, this research will help diversify the crew’s diet.