China's Astronauts Cultivate a Thriving 'Space Garden' in Orbit

China's Shenzhou 16 astronauts have been cultivating vegetables in a "space garden" aboard the Tiangong space station. The cultivation device controls various environmental factors to create optimal conditions for plant growth in microgravity. The purpose of the experiment is to study the effects of special environments on plant growth and potentially improve crop strains. The astronauts currently have a variety of 120 dishes to enjoy while on orbit, but the "space garden" could provide food, oxygen, and water in the future. The Tiangong space station also houses at least 100 types of seeds that will be exposed to cosmic radiation and returned to Earth for study.