If you’re an astronaut aboard the International Space Station, it’s hard to also consider yourself a “foodie.” After all, the outer space culinary experience is mostly Tang and “Dippin Dots.” That’s about to change, though, as NASA included “plant pillows” in Space X-3’s Dragon capsule, which will allow astronauts to grow their own fresh vegetables.

“Veggie will provide a new resource for U.S. astronauts and researchers as we begin to develop the capabilities of growing fresh produce and other large plants on the space station,” said Gioia Massa, NASA payload scientist for Veggie. “Determining food safety is one of our primary goals for this validation test.”

The experiment, creatively named Veg-01, is more “apartment window box” than “backyard garden” in scale. Due to limited real estate aboard the ISS, the growing area measures 11.5 inches wide by 14.5 inches deep. It can expand up to 18 inches as plants grow inside it, and includes a flat-panel light bank featuring red, green and blue LED lights for growth and observation.

“I am thrilled to be a member of the Veggie and Veg-01 team and proud of all the work we have done to prepare for flight,” Massa said. “Our team is very excited to see the hardware in use on the space station.”

Developed by Orbital Technologies Corporation (ORBITEC) in Madison, Wis., the system’s first successful outputs included lettuce and radishes grown at Kennedy’s Space Life Sciences Laboratory. Scientists took note plant health, size, growth rate, water usage and any microorganisms that tagged along.

NASA hopes that in the very near future, similar “plant pillows” can be scaled up to actually serve as a means of sustenance for astronauts aboard the ISS. Beyond providing calories, they also hope it can evolve into a recreational activity – for astronauts on extended missions, planting and raising a small garden would be an excellent way to pass time.