Scott Kelly Posts Picture Of First Space Flower, The Zinnia
A picture of the first flower to be grown in space was posted by astronaut Scott Kelly on his Twitter feed recently. The picture of the zinnia was posted by NASA astronaut who is currently on the International Space Station. The plant is related to daisies and sunflowers and can come in number of colors. The one grown at the space station is colored orange with a yellowish tinge.
The flower is a part of an experiment designed to grow both ornamental and edible plants, including the zinnia, in space. The VEG-01 module has a small garden of plants growing in it.
The main objective of the module, which is also known as “Veggie,” is to find out how food can be grown by astronauts while on long-range missions, including a possible Mars mission. The ISS regularly receives its supplies from the Earth. However, astronauts who may o one long-range missions will not have this type of luxury.
Scott Kelly Posts Picture Of First Space Flower, The Zinnia - image credit: cnn.com
A number of issues are facing the plants when they are grown in space. The leaves of some plants are curled, which indicates stress. Mold was also noted by Kelly on the leaves of some plants. It was necessary for the astronaut to remove the damaged areas on the plant. To ensure a dry environment inside the module, it was necessary for a fan to be set on high. Humidity tends to form inside the module. However, these issues did not prevent the zinnia from becoming the first flower to bloom in space.
A detailed plan was created by the Veggie ground team to take care of the plants. However, Kelly had the ultimate decision on how to take care of the plants. He had to closely monitor the plants and make the decision on the watering schedule. NASA has described the astronaut as an “autonomous gardener.” NASA also indicated that the critical part was the willingness of Kelly to take care of the plants without assistance from the support team on the ground.
The zinnia is considered one of the components in the long-term plan of NASA in growing plants in space. Future experiments will include red romaine lettuce, Chinese cabbage and dwarf tomato plants.
First ever flower grown in space makes its debut! #SpaceFlower #zinnia #YearInSpace pic.twitter.com/2uGYvwtLKr
— Scott Kelly (@StationCDRKelly) January 16, 2016
Posted by
George Daniels
on Tuesday January 19 2016, 9:12 AM EST.
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Filed under Technology.
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