From Farm to Space: Jacob “Pepper Seed” Torres on Growing Chile Peppers for NASA

Jacob Torres Transcript

Susan Wise:
Welcome to Stars Launch Pod: Space, Technology, and Research Sciences. I’m Susan Wise, and I’m thrilled to have a very special guest with us on the show today—former NASA horticultural scientist Jacob “Pepper Seed” Torres. Did I get that right?

Jacob Pepperseed:
You got it right, Susan. Thank you so much.

Susan Wise:
Where does “Pepper Seed” come from?

Jacob Pepperseed:
I’m… I’m not really sure—there’s a story, I’m sure.

Jacob Pepperseed:
Yes, there’s absolutely a story. I’ll try to be brief, but—
I decided to write my master’s thesis at Purdue University, and for some reason, I just had it in my head that I was going to go to Purdue. When I got there, I found out there’s a long-standing tradition with NASA—astronauts, engineers working there. I studied in the Neil Armstrong building, and I was really inspired.

When I finished my time there, I still needed a bit more time to complete my thesis. I thought, “How can I buy some time?” I figured if I got a NASA internship, maybe that would give me the time I needed to finish it. So, I Googled “NASA internships,” and immediately a site came up—the STEM education internship opportunities. I applied.

You can apply to 15 opportunities every semester, each with different teams. My first choice, of course, was the Mars Rover project—Mars 2020. That really excited me. There was also the Solar Parker Probe, which was sending a probe into the sun to collect data as long as possible. I’m an engineer and I 3D print and build things, so I was really interested in an internship where you could 3D print components for spacesuits so astronauts can build them in space without needing resupply.

But around the fifth or sixth opportunity, I ran out of the obvious choices. I kept browsing the list—and then I saw something: “Plant growth for food production in microgravity.” And I thought, “That sounds really cool.”

I’m sitting here right now in northern New Mexico, where my family is from. We’ve been farming here for hundreds of years. Growing crops is in my DNA. I studied engineering, but I grew up farming. So I applied to that internship.

Out of all 15 applications, one team called me back. It was the plant science team at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. They said, “Jacob, we love your master’s research—this botanical air filter that uses plants to purify indoor air. It’s cool that you grew up on a farm. And—we really need an engineer. Would you like to work with us for 10 weeks?”

And I said, “Of course—yes!”

So in 2018, I signed up. I thought that would be it—ten weeks with NASA, then back to Purdue to finish my thesis and move on. But when I got there, it turned out they didn’t have a “Jacob.” And we just fit—like a perfect match.

Kennedy Space Center is known for launching rockets—SpaceX, ULA, NASA missions. The Space Shuttle launched there, the Apollo rockets, the Falcon 9, Artemis—all from KSC. But what people don’t know is that it’s also the designated Crop Growth Center for NASA. There’s a plant science team based there whose mission is to figure out how to grow food for astronauts on long-duration missions.

When we’re up on the International Space Station, or when we go to the Moon or to Mars, having fresh food is one of our biggest challenges.

Susan Wise:
Yeah. So what’s for dinner on Mars?

Jacob Pepperseed:
Sure! For dinner on Mars, what we envision is a mix: pre-packaged, freeze-dried meals prepared on Earth and sent to Kennedy Space Center for launch—plus fresh crops grown in greenhouses on Mars. That fresh food—fruits, vegetables, leafy greens—will supplement the astronauts’ diet.

Because of the distance, it can take six months to a year for supplies to reach Mars. During that time, vitamins degrade, taste degrades—nutritional value drops. So we absolutely need fresh food sources.

NASA decided to develop greenhouses or plant growth chambers wherever astronauts are working. That means the astronauts will grow their own food—and my job is to help develop the technology to support that.

So everything from lighting, irrigation, to robots that help pollinate and water the plants—that’s where I come in. I’m the engineer who builds those systems.

Susan Wise:
Jacob, did you have like an “aha” moment at some point—where you realized, yes, this is it?

Jacob Pepperseed:
Yes. My “aha” moment came during my internship in 2018. We sat in this giant room—NASA is very collegial, kind of like a university. All the scientists and group leaders sat at the central table, and I usually sat on the outer edge.

In one meeting, they said, “We’ve grown a lot of leafy greens in space—lettuce, spinach, bok choy—but astronauts can’t survive on just that. We’re going to have to grow fruit and vegetables. That means pollination and long-duration growth.”

Someone said the word “pepper.” I perked up immediately. I’m from New Mexico. Our most famous crop is the chile pepper. Then someone said “Hatch.” If you’ve ever heard your name in a room, you know the feeling—I looked up and said, “What’d you say?”

They said, “Hatch, Jacob. It’s a town in New Mexico famous for its peppers. Ever heard of it?”

And I’m like, “I went to New Mexico State University—the next town over! I’m from northern New Mexico. I’ve been growing chile my whole life!”

Right then, I realized they were talking about growing a pepper in space—as the first fruit crop. That was the “aha.” I’d been growing peppers my whole life, and now NASA wanted to grow peppers in space. That was my team.

A few days later they said, “Jacob, you’ve done a great job. Want to stay another 10 weeks?” I said yes. And at the end of that 10 weeks, they said, “Would you like a job?” I said yes.

They asked me to apply for a scientist role—even though I’m an engineer by education. I applied, got the job, and ultimately was part of 17 NASA space biology experiments. Not just on the International Space Station—we also tested in satellites orbiting Earth, in Antarctica (my colleague Jess Bunick spent a year there and grew New Mexico chile using a hydroponic system I designed), and other extreme environments.

Susan Wise:
Wow. Hence the name “Jacob Pepper Seed”!

Jacob Pepperseed:
Yep. Exactly.

Susan Wise:
Quick question—about my tomatoes. I heard somewhere that you’re supposed to hit them with a broom to make them… is that true?

Jacob Pepperseed:
Yes—actually, that’s not a myth.

Susan Wise:
To make them pollinate?

Jacob Pepperseed:
Exactly. Tomatoes and peppers were our two main candidates for the first fruit in space because of how they pollinate. They have both male and female parts in the same flower. You don’t need bees or wind—you just need mechanical agitation.

So, yeah—whacking the plant with a broom or stick actually shakes the pollen loose and helps pollination. That’s how our astronauts—who called themselves “Hatchstronauts”—pollinated the plants. They wore gloves and gently poked each flower.

Susan Wise:
That’s great. Let me ask you this: What has been your biggest challenge—and how did you overcome it?

Jacob Pepperseed:
There are lots of challenges. That’s my job—overcoming challenges. But are you asking about professional or personal challenges?

Susan Wise:
Actually—let’s make it personal, Jacob.

Jacob Pepperseed:
Cool. My biggest personal challenge is right here—where I’m sitting. This town. My family has been here for hundreds, even thousands of years. It felt like my destiny was to stay here forever.

Nobody in my family had gone out to get a master’s degree, or worked with NASA. So just the fact that I left, got an education, and did these wild things—that was already a huge challenge.

And sometimes, I felt like I didn’t belong. But my secret? No matter how I felt, I would just show up. Get dressed, go anyway. And once you’re there—things fall into place.

So my biggest challenge was breaking out of my “destiny” to stay in my hometown—and yet, here I am back again. Full circle.

Susan Wise:
Just came full circle. You went out, learned everything—and now you’re bringing it back home.

Jacob Pepperseed:
One of the complaints in our community is that people leave—but they don’t come back to contribute. I’m trying to live the opposite. I went away, had these amazing experiences, and now I’m back—to share them with my community.

Susan Wise:
Any advice you’d like to share with our listeners?

Jacob Pepperseed:
Yes. Most people listening are probably hard workers. Getting the job done isn’t the problem—it’s how we treat ourselves while we do it.

The more you do, the more failures you see. And I used to beat myself up over that—like when a plant died, or I missed the irrigation. But my advice is: Work hard—and be kind to yourself.

If you’re kind to yourself, you’ll be more positive, have more fun, and you’re more likely to succeed.

Susan Wise:
Right. And failures are really just learning opportunities.

Jacob Pepperseed:
Absolutely. They’re badges—you wear them under your shirt. “I went through that—and it led to this.”

Susan Wise:
I love your enthusiasm, Jacob. I’m so glad we got to sit down here on Launch Pod. Thank you so much for joining us.

Jacob Pepperseed:
Yeah—thank you! I have one more thing I’d love to share.

Susan Wise:
Go for it.

Jacob Pepperseed:
The name “Jacob Pepper Seed” doesn’t come from the space mission directly. A big part of NASA’s mission is to educate. I took that to heart—especially in my community.

During COVID, I posted on Facebook: “I challenge you to grow a pepper plant to help me learn how to grow them in controlled environments.” The next day, lockdown started—and my inbox blew up.

Kids around the world grew pepper plants to help with my research. It was called the Space Chile Grow a Pepper Plant Challenge. We eventually got NASA funding. I sent 75,000 seed packets—around the world. Even to Antarctica!

Johnny Appleseed is famous for spreading apple seeds across the Midwest—but I’ve got him beat. I’ve covered the world, the stratosphere, and the International Space Station.

Now we’re working on the Moon Chile Challenge—visiting schools, sharing the Space Chile mission, and giving students seeds, pots, and instructions. We’re recording data to create a database so that when NASA is ready to grow fruit on the Moon—we already have a crop ready to go.

And that’s where “Jacob Pepper Seed” comes from.

Susan Wise:
I love that. You’re planting seeds of knowledge in young minds everywhere. I love what you’re all about, Jacob. Thank you so much.

Jacob Pepperseed:
Appreciate it.

Susan Wise:
Thanks again for joining us. If you enjoyed this episode, leave us a review and subscribe. And until next time—keep looking up!

Jacob Pepperseed:
Bye!