Latest news with #Veggie
Time of India
29-07-2025
- Science
- Time of India
NASA proves growing plants in space is key to healthy astronaut life on Mars missions and deep space travel
The idea of growing plants in space once sounded like a far-off dream, but modern scientific advancements have brought it closer to reality. This achievement is not only about enjoying the sight of greenery in a weightless environment but also about ensuring survival, maintaining astronaut mental health , and supporting future deep space missions. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Fresh vegetables in space could reduce dependency on pre-packaged food, recycle air and water, and offer emotional comfort during long-duration journeys to Mars or beyond. These experiments lay the groundwork for sustainable life-support systems essential for deep space exploration . Why growing plants in space is important Space travel involves extreme isolation and limited resources. Currently, astronauts rely on vacuum-packed and freeze-dried meals, which lack freshness and can lose nutritional value over time. Growing plants on spacecraft or space stations offers multiple benefits: Nutritional value: Fresh vegetables retain essential vitamins and minerals lost during food processing. Psychological comfort: Caring for plants and witnessing natural growth provides a sense of home and stress relief Life-support role: Plants convert carbon dioxide into oxygen and can help purify water, contributing to a closed-loop life-support system. NASA's Veggie project overcomes challenges to bloom a Zinnia aboard the ISS In 2016, NASA astronaut Scott Kelly posted an image of a blooming zinnia aboard the International Space Station (ISS), calling it the 'first flower grown in space.' This was a breakthrough moment as it symbolized humanity's ability to grow complex plants beyond Earth. However, the journey to that bloom wasn't easy. The zinnias initially faced mold growth and were on the verge of dying. By following modified care instructions from NASA scientists and Kelly's careful attention—his 'green thumb'—the plants recovered and successfully bloomed. This experiment was part of NASA's Veggie project, which focuses on growing food in microgravity. Earlier attempts at growing flowers in space While Kelly's zinnias were celebrated worldwide, they were not technically the first flowers grown in space. There have been several earlier milestones: 2012 – Don Pettit's sunflower experiment: Astronaut Don Pettit cultivated a sunflower aboard the ISS using improvised containers and documented its journey in his blog Diary of a Space Zucchini. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now 1990s – Wheat growth on Mir Station: Russian cosmonauts grew dwarf wheat aboard the Mir space station, demonstrating flowering in microgravity conditions. 1982 – Arabidopsis on Salyut 7: The Soviet crew successfully grew Arabidopsis, a small flowering plant, which Guinness World Records recognizes as the first plant to bloom and produce seeds in space. 1966 – Cosmos 110 Bean experiment: Even earlier, the uncrewed Soviet Cosmos 110 mission germinated and bloomed beans, which astonishingly grew almost twice as fast as on Earth. NASA's Veggie experiment: Pioneering growing plants in space NASA's Veggie experiment was developed to explore food production in space for long-duration missions. Initially, it focused on lettuce, later expanding to zinnias and eventually targeting tomatoes and other crops. Growing food in orbit is not just about nutrition but also about sustainability, reducing dependence on supply missions from Earth. In the future, space farming systems could become standard on missions to Mars or permanent lunar bases, providing astronauts with fresh food, cleaner air, and improved psychological well-being. Also Read |
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Utah Hockey Club's Home Finale Features Award Ceremony, Fan Appreciation... And A Shootout Loss
The Delta Center is going to look mighty empty real soon. Utah's inaugural season isn't over just yet, with the team having three road games remaining. But after a 4–3 shootout loss to the Nashville Predators, its last home game of the season, fans will have to wait months before they can chant 'Veggie,' the nickname of team MVP Karel Vejmelka, once again. 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐌𝐕𝐏 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 Selected by his teammates for his contributions to our success on and off the ice. 🙌 Congratulations, Veggie! — Utah Hockey Club (@utahhockeyclub) April 11, 2025 "Yeah, it's getting crazy. I like to see that, and I can't wait to see that again next season," said Vejmelka. "It's a really cool feeling, especially on the ice, and I really feel that support. So like I said, I really appreciate it." Despite the game ending in a loss, the vibe of the night remained celebratory during the award ceremony, with Utah owner Ryan Smith assuring fans that the organization was 'just getting started.' Still, the crowd would have been buzzing even more if Nashville Predators forward Filip Forsberg hadn't stolen the victory with his shootout goal, silencing the Utah home crowd. Silky Mitts Forsberg 👑 — Nashville Predators (@PredsNHL) April 11, 2025 With Utah's Dylan Guenther, Clayton Keller, and Nick Schmaltz all unable to score against Nashville goalie Juuse Saros, Forsberg's goal was all Nashville needed to cap off a hard fought game with a win. And with no playoff berth on the table, there was no solace in Guenther, who unfortunately didn't get a "birthday present" from coach Andre Tourigny and the team, forcing overtime with his goal in the third period. Birthday boy? Bubble boy? GUNNER SCORES! 🔥Tie game, 3-3. — Utah Hockey Club (@utahhockeyclub) April 11, 2025 Utah certainly would have liked to leave its home fans with a win, especially after a thrilling shootout, but there will be plenty more home games to come for this team There will be more antics from fans to go along with the broccoli throwing and various vegetable headwear. There will be more Liam O'Brien impersonators and hopefully more memorable moments from Cole Stroh, the Utah season ticket holder known for his shiny suit jacket, in the future. "It was special for us. It was the team's first year and there were a lot of emotions," said Tourigny. "There were a lot of connections with the crowd and the way they supported us, we wanted to play for them and play in front of them. It's just tough right now to comprehend that there's no more this year. We're addicted now. We're looking forward to the next one, but we'll have to wait a little bit." What Utah and its fans will hope for is that next season lasts just a little longer... specifically, a postseason longer. We love you, Utah fans! 🥹🩵 #Club4Life — Utah Hockey Club (@utahhockeyclub) April 11, 2025 "Just a special moment. First season here in NHL history," said Keller. "Sometimes it's crazy to think about that, how quickly it happened and how great of a move it's been. So just super thankful. So many people gave us a great position to be successful and I couldn't be more excited for next year." The appreciation is mutual between the Utah Hockey Club and its fans, with the team showing its gratitude through various moments, such as the different graphics presented throughout the game, the pre-game festivities, or simply doubling the amount of the Delta gift card giveaway segment to prove it. Thanks for always showing up, Utah fans! 🩵 — Utah Hockey Club (@utahhockeyclub) April 11, 2025 To make the closing moments of Utah's final home game last just a little bit longer for both the team and the fans, Utah hosted a team awards ceremony, where five of its players were honored. "A coach is like a father and you want everybody to be recognized," said Tourigny. "Those five players have been recognized and they all deserve it, no doubt about it. But there's a lot of guys, unsung heroes, on our team that I would have loved to see them be rewarded as well. I understand we need to have limits, but I think there are a lot of guys who put their heart into the job this year, and they helped us make this year a special year." Along with Vejmelka's MVP award, Utah awarded the following: The Community Obsessed Award: Given to Alexander Kerfoot for being the most active in the Utah community. You can learn more about his efforts in Belle Fraser's story for the Salt Lake Tribune, which highlights Kerfoot's involvement in growing girls' hockey in Utah. 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐎𝐛𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 Given to the player who is most active in our community. 🩵 Congratulations, Kerf! — Utah Hockey Club (@utahhockeyclub) April 11, 2025 The Three Stars Award: Given to Guenther for registering the most Three Stars selections on the team. The Leading Scorer Award: Given to Keller for finishing as Utah's leading scorer... well, at least until Guenther tied his goal mark with his 27th goal midway through the game. But Keller did have the most goals prior to the game against Nashville, so it still counts. The All-In Award: Given to Barrett Hayton, selected by Utah fans for his efforts on the ice. And as mentioned previously, Vejmelka's teammates selected him as the Team's MVP for both his play and his presence off the ice. "It's a great feeling, especially (the) first year," said Vejmelka. "But I would say it's a team trophy and a team award. I couldn't get a trophy without the guys, without (my) teammates. They're a big part of it and I really appreciate it." So while the season is nearing an end for Utah, there is only a bright future ahead for this team here in Utah.
