African seeds flown into space, tested on the Moon and Mars

One of the ingredients that makes up Nigeria's traditional egusi soup has been sent to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of a project to study the possibility of growing crops in space.

Egusi seeds are displayed for sale at a market in Lagos, Nigeria on August 12 - Photo: REUTERS

According to Reuters news agency on August 28, egusi seeds - the main ingredient in Nigeria's famous soup - were recently brought to the International Space Station (ISS) and returned to Earth after 7 days, in a project to research how food reacts to the space environment.

The flight was carried out by Crew-11 spacecraft, launched from Kennedy Space Center (USA) on August 1, carrying egusi seeds and some other seeds from Costa Rica, Guatemala, Armenia and Pakistan.

These samples will be cultured, their response to space conditions analyzed, and any genetic changes that affect quality and nutritional value studied.

According to scientist Wagner Vendrame (University of Florida) - one of the researchers participating in the project, growing fresh food in space is very important, helping astronauts have diverse meals instead of relying only on dried food.

“Growing your own lettuce, tomatoes or melons in space is not only important for nutrition and health, but also has a big impact on the astronauts' spirit: eating a fresh melon is very different from a processed one,” he emphasized.

The person who chose egusi nuts for this mission, entrepreneur Temidayo Oniosun - founder of Space in Africa Company - said the reason came not only from the nutritional properties of this nut but also from culture and symbolism.

The goal, he said, is to incorporate indigenous African foods into the diets of future astronauts and prepare for the prospect of humans living on the Moon and Mars.

Furthermore, he said egusi is the “seed that tells the story” of Nigerians and African communities around the world . “Even 50 years from now, if Africans are on the Moon, we want them to still be cultivating egusi,” he said.

Egusi is a protein-rich nut popular not only in Nigeria but also in many West African countries and the African diaspora. The introduction of egusi into the mainstream thus has both nutritional and cultural significance.

The seeds from the flight are now being distributed to research groups, preparing to enter the detailed analysis phase.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/hat-giong-chau-phi-bay-vao-vu-tru-thu-nghiem-trong-tren-mat-trang-va-sao-hoa-20250830020709489.htm