Cosmonaut Alexander Gerst moves to the Columbus laboratory on the ISS. The picture was taken during his first flight (2014).
The light in the room acquired a pinkish tone during the extraordinary exit of the crew. Columbus has a NASA Veggie conservatory where scientists grow lettuce under weightless conditions. Previous experiments have shown that red light is best suited for growing plants in space.
Veggie has become a favorite astronaut project because it guarantees a fresh crop. The Columbus Laboratory launched from Earth almost 10 years ago to become a major European scientific contribution to a space station.
In 2018, there will be many reasons for celebration: the 10th anniversary of the operation of Columbus, as well as the second mission of Gerst on the ISS. He will be sent in June at the Union MS-09 together with astronaut Jeanette Epps and Russian cosmonaut Sergey Prokopiev (will be the commander for 6 months).
