Potatoes have been studied as a top candidate for off‑world farming since the Space Race and were part of a landmark 1995 experiment that compared space‑grown plant leaves with identical Earth controls. Domesticated around 7,000 years ago in the Andes, potatoes are calorie‑dense and easy to grow, but typically require cooking — a challenge for current spacecraft that lack ovens. For now, space stations focus on quick, raw greens like red romaine lettuce (first harvested in orbit in 2015) while researchers test potatoes and other novel food experiments for future long‑duration missions.
How Potatoes Became the First Vegetable Grown in Space — and Why They Matter for Mars
Potatoes have been studied as a top candidate for off‑world farming since the Space Race and were part of a landmark 1995 experiment that compared space‑grown plant leaves with identical Earth controls. Domesticated around 7,000 years ago in the Andes, potatoes are calorie‑dense and easy to grow, but typically require cooking — a challenge for current spacecraft that lack ovens. For now, space stations focus on quick, raw greens like red romaine lettuce (first harvested in orbit in 2015) while researchers test potatoes and other novel food experiments for future long‑duration missions.
22:41, 09.11.2025Science
The potato: an earthly staple with extraterrestrial potential
Humanity has long dreamed of reaching other worlds, but only in the 20th century did that dream become technically achievable. During the Space Race, scientists began asking a practical question: which foods could be cultivated off‑world to sustain long missions? Since the 1960s one crop has repeatedly stood out as a strong candidate — and it’s likely sitting in your pantry right now: the potato.
Ancient crop, modern mission
Domesticated by Andean cultures in South America roughly 7,000 years ago, potatoes spread to other continents after European contact and later became dietary mainstays in places such as Ireland and Idaho. Their cultural and nutritional importance on Earth helped attract attention from space agriculture researchers.
The 1995 experiment that sent potatoes into orbit
In 1995 researchers conducted a landmark experiment in which leaves from a single potato plant were placed into portable growing beds; one set remained on Earth while the other was launched into orbit. The goal was to compare growth and development under terrestrial and microgravity conditions. Remarkably, the space‑grown samples and their Earth counterparts showed very similar outcomes, demonstrating potatoes’ resilience to the stresses of spaceflight.
From Martian simulants to space stations
Researchers have continued testing potatoes’ suitability for off‑world agriculture, including trials using arid soils from Peru’s Pampas de La Joya — chosen because its properties approximate aspects of Martian regolith. At the same time, current space greenhouse work has focused on quick‑growing salad greens that can be eaten raw, since most spacecraft today lack ovens or stoves.
Why potatoes are promising — and what still stands in the way
Potatoes are attractive for space farming for several reasons: they are calorie‑dense (rich in carbohydrates), supply vitamins and some protein, are relatively easy to cultivate, and require limited post‑harvest processing. Their main drawback is culinary: potatoes generally need to be cooked to be palatable, and crewed spacecraft typically do not include conventional cooking appliances. That limitation makes them less practical for current short‑duration missions, though they remain a strong candidate for future long‑term habitats.
Broader food experiments in space
Food science in space is expanding beyond tubers. In 2015, red romaine lettuce became the first crop both grown and harvested in orbit, demonstrating the value of fresh greens for crew diets. Experiments have grown more creative: in 2021 bottles of Bordeaux were flown to study accelerated aging, and other projects explore unconventional ideas such as converting astronauts’ exhaled breath into yeast for future food production. As missions lengthen and plans for settlement advance, food science will be central to sustained human presence off Earth.
Food may become as important as propulsion and life support in the next phase of space exploration.
Takeaway: Potatoes proved they can survive spaceflight conditions and remain a leading candidate for off‑world agriculture — but practical hurdles, especially cooking limitations, mean greens and other no‑cook crops dominate current missions. Continued experiments on Earth and in orbit aim to close the gap between nutritious crops and the realities of living off Earth.