There is life in space,Researchers at the International Space Station (ISS) have managed to give birth to the first flower of space, said on the social network Twitter American astronaut Scott Kelly.
To do this, they chose "zinnia", a variety that grows very easily on the Earth and blooms abundantly during the summer. But this plant, brought into the orbital outpost for experiments, apparently had difficulty adapting to microgravity. Reason: The high humidity in the station caused the appearance of mold on the leaves, according to a statement from NASA. But they seem to recover thanks to the care of the American astronaut.
In January2016, astronauts from the International Space Station (ISS) grew the first plant in space. Eventually, they would like to grow plants to be self-sufficient in food.
A"zinnia"grown in the International Space Station (ISS) has blossomed, giving birth to the first flower of space, US astronaut Scott Kelly said on Twitter.
"Zinnia" grows very easily on the Earth and flowers abundantly during the summer. But these plants, brought into the orbital outpost for experiments, apparently had difficulty adapting to microgravity.
Many of these zinnias appeared to be in bad shape in December after the appearance of mold on their leaves because of the high humidity, according to NASA. But they seem to be recovering thanks to the care of Scott Kelly.
The cultivation of these flowers is part of NASA's larger project, called "Veggie", which aims to grow plants in space to produce food for long-term manned missions to Mars, an autonomy that will be an important complement to the survival of astronauts, explains the Space Agency.
The station's crew members have already successfully harvested lettuce from which they have eaten the first leaves in 2015 and hope to produce tomatoes by next year.
The system for growing salads and other plants was installed in the Space Station in mid-2014. These plants are cultivated by hydroponics that is to say without soil in a solution of water and nutrients. This system requires significantly less water
and fertilizer and plants grow three times faster than in the soil, according to NASA.
The cultivation of these flowers is part of NASA's larger project, called "Veggie", to grow plants in space to produce food for long-term manned missions to Mars. will be an important complement to the survival of astronauts, explains the Space Agency. The station's crew members have already successfully harvested lettuce from which they have eaten the first leaves in 2015 and hope to produce tomatoes by next year.
The system for growing salads and other plants was installed in the Space Station in mid-2014. These plants are cultivated by hydroponics that is to say without soil in a solution of water and nutrients. This system requires significantly less water and fertilizer and plants grow three times faster than in the ground, according to NASA.
Project scientist Gioia Massa explained that plants grown so far in space are not perfect but have allowed researchers on Earth to better understand how plants grow in microgravity.
Still under the auspices of the "Veggie" project, the Space Agency hopes to launch in 2017 tomato growing. Then come the turn of the potatoes; tests will be conducted to grow them in the same conditions as on Mars.
The research also focuses on the effect that zero gravity can have on seeds. In this perspective, the British Timothy Peake of the European Space Agency (ESA) took off on December 15 in a Soyuz rocket to join the ISS.
In his package, Peake slipped a million rocket salad seeds. There is no question of turning the International Space Station into a giant vegetable garden. The seeds will only be planted when they return to Earth in six months.
source: https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/first-flower-grown-in-space-stations-veggie-facility
https://www.nasa.gov/content/ZINNIAS-FROM-SPACE-NASA-Studies-the-Multiple-Benefits-of-Gardening
http://edition.cnn.com/2016/01/18/world/first-space-flower-iss/index.html
