Astronauts on the International Space Station will eat fresh lettuce Monday grown in space, according to NASA.
The vegetables will likely be eaten as a type of "space salad" or as a side dish for another dehydrated food item, William Jeffs, a spokesman for NASA Johnson Space Center, told USA TODAY Network in an email.
NASA will broadcast the harvest and first taste Monday afternoon starting at 11:30 p.m. EDT on NASA TV.
The romaine seeds were planted on board ISS in a small greenhouse called "Veggie" on July 8, Jeffs said. Veggie uses LEDs to foster plant growth in space, according to a statement from NASA. The hope is that greenhouses like Veggie will help crews grow their own food for longer missions, the statement said.
The anticipation is high. On Sunday, Scott Kelly tweeted a selfie with space-grown lettuce.
This is the first time astronauts plan to eat vegetables grown in space, but plants have been on board the station since May 2014 when ISS hosted an experiment called "Veg-01." Those plants were grown and taken back to earth for safety testing, according to Jeffs.
