This orange flower symbolizes a noteworthy moment in human history because this is the very first flower to bloom in space. These beautiful photographs were in recent times tweeted by astronaut Scott Kelly from aboard the International Space Station. Therefore the successful experiment with plant growth in zero gravity is a big achievement.
Scott Kelly and his colleague Russian astronaut Mikhail Korniyenko, are aboard the station as part of a year-long mission to study the effects of long-term stay in space. However, their mission overlapped with a project recognized as Veggie, initiated by NASA’s previous resident Kjell Lindgren who had created experimenting with plant growth.
Previously, ISS astronauts have harvested romaine lettuce, however flowering crops such as zinnias are much more challenging to grow. Nevertheless, the bright orange flowers sprouted from pods composed of fertilizer, seeds, water, and clay, under a system of LED lights.
The project’s optimism is to continue generating nutritious fresh food for the crew, while also giving morale-boosting plants that may support enhancing the isolating environment the astronauts have to live in. Moreover, NASA hopes to make use of the same growth methods to sooner or later produce tomatoes in space, bringing us one moving step closer to agriculture in space.
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