The first flower grown in space was hatched – Le Figaro

The astronaut Scott Kelly announced on Twitter last Saturday the good news: A zinnia bloomed in the International Space Station. This is the first time a flower planted by a human born in space.

Life took shape near 400 kilometers of the surface of the Earth. American astronaut Scott Kelly announced on Twitter last Saturday have managed to grow a flower grown on the International Space Station (ISS). “Yes, there are other life forms in space”, he welcomed the social network.

The plant in question, zinnia, usually grows on well-drained, fertile thanks to sunlight. There, deprived of natural light, this edible plant was hatched. This is the first time a flower planted by a human born in space. This variety of zinnia was chosen for its longest growth cycle of 60-80 days, which allows researchers to measure the evolution of flowering and treat any mold, but also because it “allows understand how plants bloom and grow in a microgravity environment, “says NASA on its website.

If, in July 2015, the ISS crew had already succeeded in growing lettuce in space, growing a flowering plant is much more difficult than the growth of a vegetative plant, such as lettuce. “Lighting and other environmental parameters, such lack of sunlight and gravity, are more harmful,” says Masa Gioia, the Kennedy Space Center. With this successful experiment, researchers hope to obtain data on the ramifications of the roots in weightlessness, evaluate the impact of pollen released by the flowers on the ventilation systems and finally assess a possible positive effect on the morale of the crew.

The project team Veggie, which frames the attempts of cultivation in space, measuring the scope of this scientific victory. “These plants are very fragile, so it was difficult to successfully grow them, making it a good precursor of tomatoes plan,” says Trent Smith, Project Manager Veggie. The choice of a fragile plant and allows researchers to move quickly to the next step: reaching plans to grow dwarf tomatoes on board the International Space Station by 2018. This might be a prelude to longer expeditions and lontaines in space.

Dr Gioia Massa ensures for its part that “even if the plant did not grow well, we learn a lot about plants and fluid” . “Regardless of the outcome of flowering, it is a great victory,” he added. For, beyond the feat, the growth of the flower has not been easy, particularly with regard to its watering: Water floats weightless.

Scott Kelly’s predecessors began to grow zinnias last year, but in the absence of gravity, water plant billowing leaves after only a few weeks of growth , leaving room for mold. The astronaut, who supported the plantation in December, has changed method. He first cut moldy parts and changed the watering technique, preferring the technique of “wet finger”.

In the meantime, Scott Smith wants to remain lucid. “A garden in space is like any garden: sometimes the plants do not grow. But I am an eternal optimist, “he concludes from the space station.