Antarctica's Ekström Ice Shelf is a giant of ice walloped constantly by devilish squalls and brutal blizzards. The Sun barely rises above the horizon; polar nights often dazzle with vivid auroras, and raging katabatic winds funnel through narrow valleys, flowing downhill from high elevations and stirring coastal currents. At a quarter mile distance from the Neumayer research Station III, located on the ice shelf, stands a shipping container-sized greenhouse called EDEN-ISS. Inside this hi-tech space-age greenhouse, NASA scientists dive into a gustatory adventure by exploring methods to grow vegetables.
If veggies can be grown in this harsh Antarctic environment, it could unlock possibilities for space agriculture, as shared in a 2018 press release by the German Aerospace Center (DLR), behind the EDEN-ISS experiment. EDEN-ISS is a "closed-loop life support system for long-term space missions," according to a video by Liquifer (@liquifer7453).
The greenhouse has state-of-the-art technologies and systems, including an "air management system, nutrient delivery system, light systems, and plant health monitoring systems," DLR scientist Paul Zabel explained in the video.
While he spent his winter, or overwintered at the greenhouse, around 2017 and 2018, he helped produce the first harvest, which included 8 pounds of lettuce, 70 radishes, and 18 cucumbers. "Seeing our first fresh Antarctic salad was a truly special moment. It tasted like it had just been harvested from the garden," station manager Bernhard Gropp said in the press release.
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