NASA Shares Stunning Pic Of The Flower Grown In Space

International

oi-Prakash KL

NASA, which started a flowering crop experiment in space in 2015, has shared a photo of a zinnia flower in the Veggie plant growth system aboard the International Space Station.

“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,” sharing the picture, NASA said.

It is a close-up photo of a zinnia flower in space, with its light-orange petals in full bloom. Its tangled leaves extend up into the top-left corner of the picture. Behind the flower, the Earth can be seen out-of-focus, with the blackness of space taking up most of the image’s bottom half.

“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. @NASAAstronauts have also grown lettuce, tomatoes, and chile peppers on the ISS, among other vegetables-with plenty more plants to come,” NASA stated.

This experiment started on November 16, 2015, when NASA astronaut Kjell Lindgren activated the Veggie system and its rooting “pillows” containing zinnia seeds.

It has to be noted that NASA astronauts have also grown lettuce, tomatoes, and chile peppers in space.

The picture of the flower has gone viral. Many netizens are stunned to see a flower blossoming in space.

“Are there other photos of this flower? Please take a picture with the full ???? in the background. it is so beautiful,” a user commented.

Another netizen said, “Reviving life in a lifeless place is incredibly beautiful.”

“Hats off to the scientists, the photos, as well as those who handle NASA’s account for the most wonderful captions and image descriptions,” the third user added.