Seabuckthorn And Himalayan Buckwheat In Space: What's Behind NASA Taking Ladakh's Superfoods To Space?

As part of an experiment, the international space organization NASA has taken seeds of seabuckthorn and Himalayan buckwheat from Ladakh have been sent to the International Space Station (ISS).

Why Are Ladakh's Superfoods On Their Way To Space?

A study, led by US-based bioastronautics company Jaguar Space aims to see how these nutrient-rich seeds react in microgravity conditions.

This research is a part of the larger efforts at play, involving seeds from 11 countries across five continents, all aimed at advancing space agriculture and global food security.

The study looks at how seeds respond to the unique stresses of the space environment before germination, according to Jaguar Space.

Additionally, it focuses on fundamental processes such as gene activation and metabolic pathways which are needed for germination.

Other seeds that have been used in this experiment have been sourced from countries like Maldives, Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Nigeria, Armenia, Egypt, and Pakistan.

The seeds will remain in microgravity conditions for a week before being returned later this month.

What Is The Possible Result Of This Experiment?

This experiment opens up possibilities of using species which were previously untested in future space agriculture projects.

NASA Crew-11 Mission

These seeds were carried to ISS on NASA's Crew-11 Mission, which docked with the ISS on Saturday.

They are all part of a payload called "Emerging Space Nation's Space for Agriculture & Agriculture for Space."

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