Image: Tending your garden in space

If you plant it, will it grow (in space)? The answer is yes, at least for certain types of plants.

The Vegetable Production System, or Veggie, was first deployed in 2013 and is capable of producing salad-type crops to provide the crew aboard the International Space Station with a palatable, nutritious, and safe source of fresh food.

Veggie provides lighting and nutrient delivery, but utilizes the cabin environment for temperature control and as a source of carbon dioxide to promote growth.

This image of a red lettuce plant was taken for the VEG-03 experiment in the Columbus Module by the Expedition 53 crew.