Astronauts can’t enjoy the bliss of home cooking in space, but they may soon be able to eat heartier and healthier meals with one staple ingredient as the star: rice. The simple crop has the potential to become an essential space food, which is why scientists are intent on genetically tailoring the perfect rice to be grown beyond our planet.
A collaboration between the Italian Space Agency and three Italian universities — dubbed the Moon-Rice project — has already gotten a head start on creating rice that could nourish astronauts on long-term space missions. Since astronauts’ diets consist of pre-prepared meals that lack fresh ingredients, growing rice in space could help them get the nutrients they need to stay in shape while exploring the final frontier.
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The key to perfecting space rice is meeting ...
