A thirteen petal orange zinnia has bloomed in zero gravity, thanks to the work of NASA astronaut Scott Kelly at the International Space Station. The agency wasn’t sure the flower would amount to much in the first weeks of 2016, but the #spaceflower is in full bloom!
Scott Kelly Tweets Picture of First Space Flower Grown at ISS
This is basically alien life form since it grew very far from Earth. The fact that this zinnia blossomed is a first for science, and it shows the deep dedication Kelly had after the flower showed signs of dying. The zinnia was overcome with mold as of the last week of December. This was because the seed containers had a leak, causing the plants to become flooded.
Much like Matt Damon in the Martian, Kelly put his full effort into reviving the plants, and he succeeded. He watered them not on schedule, but whenever he felt like the plants needed it. Only one plant managed to flower while the rest died. These will be sent back to Houston and analyzed.
This plant isn’t the first to be grown in space itself. In 1996, NASA astronaut Shannon Lucid managed to grow what stalks aboard the Russian Mir space station. In 2014, another group of astronauts grew lettuce at ISS. Kelly’s is the first flower to ever bloom in space.
Will NASA Grow Medical Marijuana Next?
So long as the plant remains illegal, it’s unlikely that NASA will be growing cannabis in space to make into medical marijuana. However, they are planning on growing food at the ISS. The growth duration of a zinnia plant is 60-80 days, which is a lot longer than lettuce and wheat stalks. This is why this was a particular challenge for Scott Kelly. The next step, according to NASA’s blog, is to grow a tomato plant.
The ISS Could Have its Own Farmer’s Market
NASA Human Research Program representative Alexandra Whitmire expressed that growing veggies in fruits in space make extended space explorations more feasible. During these longer missions, astronauts will be able to oversee the growth of Earth food in space. After testing their safety, the ISS could even feature a farmer’s market of its own, with naturally grown food. If space does affect plants and their phenotype, we could even have bizarre but natural and new kinds of veggies, like blue-yellow spotted tomatoes. Maybe in a very far future, once marijuana is legalized at least in all of the United States, they could try and grow medical marijuana.
For now, NASA will be following the growth of the space flower closely. It’s another exciting day in space and for Scott Kelly, and a great kickoff to 2016.
