The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) shared a stunning picture of a flower grown in orbit aboard the International Space Station.
The image shared by NASA on its Instagram handle on Tuesday soon went viral on social media. The picture of a colourful zinnia flower shared by the space agency is from January 22, 2016 and is clicked by astronaut Scott Kelly.
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"This zinnia was grown in orbit as part of the Veggie facility aboard the International Space Station. Scientists have been studying plants in space since the 1970s, but this particular experiment was started on the ISS in 2015 by NASA astronaut Kjell Lindgren," the space agency said.
View this post on Instagram"Our space garden isn't just for show: learning how plants develop in orbit will help us understand how to grow crops off the Earth, providing a valuable source of fresh food on long-term missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond," it added.
NASA informed that its astronauts have also grown lettuce, tomatoes, and chile peppers on the ISS, among other vegetables—with plenty more plants to come.
AdvertisementSpace Flower History
This flowering crop experiment began on November 16, 2015, when NASA astronaut Kjell Lindgren activated the Veggie system and its rooting "pillows" containing zinnia seeds.
"The challenging process of growing the zinnias provided an exceptional opportunity for scientists back on Earth to better understand how plants grow in microgravity, and for astronauts to practice doing what they'll be tasked with on a deep space mission: autonomous gardening," a NASA press release dated August 7, 2017 said.
In late December, Kelly found that the plants "weren't looking too good," and told the ground team, “You know, I think if we're going to Mars, and we were growing stuff, we would be responsible for deciding when the stuff needed water. Kind of like in my backyard, I look at it and say ‘Oh, maybe I should water the grass today.' I think this is how this should be handled.”
AdvertisementThen, the Veggie team on Earth created what was dubbed “The Zinnia Care Guide for the On-Orbit Gardener,” and gave basic guidelines for care while putting judgment capabilities into the hands of the astronaut who had the plants right in front of him.
Rather than pages and pages of detailed procedures that most science operations follow, the care guide was a one-page, streamlined resource to support Kelly as an autonomous gardener.
Soon, the flowers were on the rebound, and on January 12, pictures showed the first peeks of petals beginning to sprout on a few buds.
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