Keypoints:
- Egusi joins heritage crops on ISS mission
- Seeds sourced from Oyo State local markets
- Research to test microgravity effects on crops
WHEN Nigerian researcher Temidayo Oniosun picked the egusi melon seed for a space mission, he wasn’t just sending food into orbit – he was carrying the story of West Africa’s kitchens and traditions into the stars.
Earlier this month, the seeds were launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard the Crew-11 space capsule, part of an international project to study heritage crops in space. For Oniosun, the founder of market intelligence company Space in Africa, the mission offered a way to merge science with identity.
‘Everybody in Nigeria eats egusi, and even other people in some West African countries and Africans in the diaspora, so this mission is something they could identify with,’ Oniosun told Reuters. ‘Egusi is the seed that tells our story.’
A seed of heritage in orbit
The egusi seeds joined a selection of heritage crops from Costa Rica, Guatemala, Armenia and Pakistan. Packed in specialised test tubes, they spent seven days aboard the International Space Station before returning to Earth on August 9.
Sourced from local markets in Oyo State, southwestern Nigeria, the seeds had an unexpected journey. Their launch was initially delayed due to poor weather conditions, heightening the tension surrounding their historic flight.
‘The moment the rocket actually lifted off, that felt surreal,’ Oniosun recalled.
Blending culture with science
Nigeria’s National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) also contributed seeds to the NASA-backed project for state-funded agricultural research. The egusi addition, however, was driven by cultural motives.
For Oniosun, the experiment reflects a vision of Africa’s role in future interplanetary food systems. ‘My goal is for crops native to Africa to be part of food systems on the moon and Mars if space habitation expands in the coming decades,’ he said.
Studying life beyond Earth
Now back on Earth, the egusi seeds are being distributed to researchers to study how microgravity may have altered their properties. Wagner Vendrame, a scientist at the University of Florida, explained that the seeds will be propagated in vitro to check for genetic changes.
‘By looking at the changes in the plants and the seeds themselves, we can tell – are those plants still the same? Would they still provide the same level of nutrition to astronauts?’ Vendrame said.
The findings could help determine whether traditional African crops, like the protein-rich egusi, can one day be cultivated in extraterrestrial environments.
For Oniosun, it is about more than research. It is about ensuring that Africa’s heritage is carried forward into the future of human exploration.
