Chinese astronauts grow and harvest rice in orbit on Shenzhou-23
Chinese astronauts just pulled off a first: they have grown and harvested rice while orbiting Earth on the Shenzhou-23 mission.
The seeds actually included some from rice that was already grown in space back in 2022.
This breakthrough could make it way easier for future space travelers to grow their own food, instead of waiting on deliveries from Earth.
Scientists test rice adaptation in microgravity
The experiment tested how well rice can adapt and keep growing across generations in microgravity, using both space-grown and Earth-grown seeds.
Scientists are curious whether transgenerational memory helps these plants do better up there.
The results could shape how we feed astronauts on long missions, and maybe even help humans live off-world someday without relying so much on supplies from home.