NASA encouraging everyone to grow chile plants

NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – Months after growing green and red chile on the International Space Station (ISS), the project’s organizers said they are still seeing success. Engineer and Plant Scientist Jacob Torres explained how the experiment is working out.

Torres said they found the crop very adaptable but growing plants in space takes longer, which can be a setback. He also explained that instead of growing straight up, the plants grew into a sphere, making the physiology of the plant unique.

Now, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has decided to fund a new project aimed at growing chile around the world to show that the crop can adapt to many different environments as well as space.

The team working with NASA will send chile seeds for you to grow the crop, and Torres said that even though the crop is usually grown in New Mexico, they also want New Mexicans to take part. Schools are also welcome to grow the plant in their classrooms. As of July 1, 2022, there have been 110 entries for the “Space Chile Grow a Pepper Plant Challenge.”