Japanese astronaut going to grow cucumbers in space

PanARMENIAN.Net - Cucumbers may be out of favor on earth, but a Japanese astronaut said Monday, June 6, that he plans to harvest the vegetable on board the International Space Station.

Satoshi Furukawa is set to blast off early Wednesday for a half-year stint in orbit along with Russian cosmonaut Sergei Volkov and NASA astronaut Michael Fossum.

Speaking about experiments scheduled for the next few months, Furukawa said he would be growing cucumbers as part of ongoing studies on how future space explorers will be able to harvest their own food.

"We wish we were able to eat the cucumbers, but we have not been allowed," Furukawa, a doctor, said at a news conference.

Millions of concerned consumers across Europe have been spurning cucumbers in the wake of an E. coli outbreak blamed on contaminated vegetables that has killed 22 and sickened more than 2,200.

Mindful of their own health ahead of their mission, astronauts at the Russia-leased Baikonur launch pad in Kazakhstan remain in strict isolation in the days ahead of any launch to avoid exposure to infection. Furukawa, Fossum and Volkov sat behind a plate of protective glass as they talked about the highlights of their upcoming mission.

Fossum said he was ready for the heavy workload that will come with being in orbit as the U.S. shuttle Atlantis makes its final voyage to the space laboratory in July, AP reported.