iss066e023198

iss066e023198 (October 29, 2021) -- NASA astronaut and Expedition 66 flight engineer Megan McArthur is seen with a taco made using fajita beef, rehydrated tomatoes and artichokes, and chile peppers. The chile peppers were grown as part of the Plant Habitat-04 investigation aboard the International Space Station. The crop started growing on July 12, 2021, and represent one of the longest and most challenging plant experiments attempted aboard the orbiting laboratory. The chile peppers started growing on July 12, 2021, and represent one of the longest and most challenging plant experiments attempted aboard the orbiting laboratory. NASA astronaut and Expedition 66 flight engineer Mark Vande Hei conducted the first harvest of the pepper crop on October 29, 2021. Crew members sanitized the peppers and completed a scientific survey after their taste test. The Crew-3 astronauts will take over the crop when they arrive at the orbiting laboratory, and will conduct a final harvest of the peppers in late November. They will also sanitize and sample the crop, and complete surveys. Some peppers and their leaves from the final harvest will return to Earth for further analysis. What we learn will inform future crop growth and food supplementation activities for deep space exploration.