Agnirva Space Premier League - Expedition #32647: Growing Nutrition in Space: The VITAPRIC Experiment on Vitamin-Rich Crops

As we plan for long-term space missions, astronauts will need reliable sources of fresh, nutritious food. The VITAPRIC experiment, led by Dr. Szilvia Veres and developed by the University of Debrecen in Hungary, focuses on cultivating vitamin-rich crops in microgravity. Conducted during Expeditions 73 and 74 aboard the ISS, this study examined how various growth conditions in space—such as light, humidity, and temperature—affect the nutritional content and growth behavior of plants. The goal was to optimize plant-based vitamin production in space, supporting crew health on extended missions. This research is a stepping stone toward bioregenerative life support systems where plants not only provide food but also recycle air and water. VITAPRIC paves the way for sustainable agriculture beyond Earth and helps answer key questions about how space conditions influence crop biology and nutritional chemistry.

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