Agnirva Space Premier League - Expedition #31569: Arugula in Orbit: Girl Scouts of Hawai‘i Tackle Space Farming

The future of space exploration isn't just about rockets—it's also about salad. That’s the big idea behind the NanoRacks-Girl Scouts of Hawai‘i Arugula Plant Growth experiment. This student-led project tested how well arugula, a leafy green vegetable, could grow in microgravity aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

Why arugula? It’s fast-growing, nutritious, and relatively easy to cultivate. All traits that make it a top candidate for space farming. As humans look toward long-duration missions to the Moon and Mars, learning how to grow food in space becomes crucial.

The Girl Scouts of Hawai‘i designed their experiment to explore how arugula reacts to microgravity, light, and water conditions aboard the ISS. They compared how the space-grown plants looked, tasted, and developed against Earth-based control samples.

This hands-on investigation not only introduced students to real-world space research, it also offered valuable data on plant biology in space. The arugula sprouted successfully, proving that young minds can contribute meaningfully to humanity’s future in space.

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