News / Sci-Tech

Look at the first-ever zinnia flower to bloom in space

Monday, 18 January 2016 9:49 PM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 19 January 2016 1:12 AM ]

An orange zinnia, the first-ever flower grown in space (NASA)

Getting plants to bloom on the Earth may not be a big deal, but in space it’s a whole different story. For example, in which direction should they grow when there is no up or down? Astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) have successfully jumped the hurdles of zero-gravity gardening and got a flower to bloom in space for the very first time ever.

“Yes, there are other life forms in space!” was what Astronaut Scott Kelly tweeted along with a picture of the blooming 13-petalled orange zinnia flower.

According to NASA, Kelly had brought the plant back to life after mold started to grow on its leaves in December 2015.

*This handout photo provided by NASA shows a crop of "Outredgeous" red romaine lettuce from the Veggie plant growth system on the International Space Station. (NASA)*

“Plants can indeed enhance long-duration missions in isolated, confined and extreme environments – environments that are artificial and deprived of nature,” said Alexandra Whitmire from NASA Human Research Program.

Zinnia is but part of a much larger project aimed at getting food to grow in orbit. With the help of NASA’s plant growth system Veggie, which was sent to the station in April 2014, the astronauts are able to grow a form of edible lettuce and are planning to grow tomatoes over the next year. The ultimate goal of the project is to plant, grow, and harvest “a sustainable food supplement” for a mission to Mars.

“In future missions, the importance of plants will likely increase given the crews’ limited connection to Earth. Studies from other isolated and confined environments, such as Antarctic stations, demonstrate the importance of plants in confinement, and how much more salient fresh food becomes psychologically, when there is little stimuli around,” she added.

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