This super short video captures almost one month of radish growth on the International Space Station in just ten seconds. Astronauts on ISS are growing nutritious radishes in the Plant Habitat-02 [.pdf] to learn more about how food might grow in microgravity. They’re also testing different types of light and soils to find out what combination is most successful.
“This research could help optimize plant growth in space, as well as evaluate the nutrition and taste of the plants.”
The visible holes in the leaves were punched by the astronauts as markers during the experiment. Astronaut Kate Rubins poses with the plants at the end of the video. As of December 2020, she is “serving aboard the International Space Station for a six-month mission as a flight engineer for the Expedition 63/64 crew.”
Watch this SciFri video next: How do plants grow in space?
Plus: More plant time-lapse videos.
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