As worries over E. coli in Europe continue to hurt the cucumber industry—even if the blame for the outbreak may lie elsewhere—the popular plant is making a giant leap forward: cukes are going into space!
Japanese astronaut Satoshi Furukawa is set to blast into space on Wednesday with a Russian and an American astronaut for a six-month stint on board the International Space Station and yesterday he announced that he is planning on growing and harvesting cucumbers as part of an experiment on the effects of gravity-free environment on food growth. It's a vital experiment that could benefit future missions—not to mention the post-Apocalyptic space colonies of the ruling class, who simply can't do without their cucumber-tinis.
Before you start freaking out about how gamma ray-bombarded cukes are going to make Furukawa into a Human Torch (dude, you read too much Fantastic Four) don't worry. They won't be eating the them. “We wish we were able to eat the cucumbers, but we have not been allowed,” Furukawa said. Which means no artisan space pickles... for now!
