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Scientists Harvest First Vegetables in Antarctic Greenhouse

by Associated Press

   BERLIN --

   Scientists in Antarctica have harvested their first crop of vegetables
   grown without earth, daylight or pesticides as part of a project
   designed to help astronauts cultivate fresh food on other planets.

   Researchers at Germany's Neumayer Station III say they've picked 3.6
   kilograms (8 pounds) of salad greens, 18 cucumbers and 70 radishes
   grown inside a high-tech greenhouse as temperatures outside dropped
   below -20 degrees Celsius (-4 Fahrenheit).

   The German Aerospace Center DLR, which coordinates the project, said
   Thursday that by May scientists hope to harvest 4-5 kilograms of fruit
   and vegetables a week.

   While NASA has successfully grown greens on the International Space
   Station, DLR's Daniel Schubert says the Antarctic project aims to
   produce a wider range of vegetables that might one day be grown on Mars
   or the Moon.