Expedition 66 astronauts sample chile peppers grown on the International Space Station

iss066e023259 (October 29, 2021) -- Expedition 66 astronauts are pictured with the first harvest of chile peppers grown aboard the International Space Station as part of the Plant Habitat-04 investigation. The chile peppers started growing on July 12, 2021, and represent one of the longest and most challenging plant experiments attempted aboard the orbiting laboratory. The chile peppers started growing on July 12, 2021, and represent one of the longest and most challenging plant experiments attempted aboard the orbiting laboratory. NASA astronaut and Expedition 66 flight engineer Mark Vande Hei conducted the first harvest of the pepper crop on October 29, 2021. Crew members sanitized the peppers and completed a scientific survey after their taste test. The Crew-3 astronauts will take over the crop when they arrive at the orbiting laboratory, and will conduct a final harvest of the peppers in late November. They will also sanitize and sample the crop, and complete surveys. Some peppers and their leaves from the final harvest will return to Earth for further analysis. What we learn will inform future crop growth and food supplementation activities for deep space exploration. Pictured, from left, are Expedition 66 flight engineers NASA astronauts Mark Vande Hei and Shane Kimbrough, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration) astronaut Aki Hoshide, and NASA astronaut Megan McArthur.