NASA Astronaut Scott Kelly Tweets Photos of the First Flowers Ever Grown in Space

NASA astronaut Scott J. Kelly proudly announced via Twitter that the first flowers ever grown in space have bloomed! The flower, an orange zinnia, grew as a product of the Veggie Plant Growth System which was activated on the International Space Station in 2014. This is an amazing feat for the crew who essentially “scienced the shit out of it” and per the NASA site, a lot was learned with this bloom.

While the plants haven’t grown perfectly,” said Dr. Gioia Massa, NASA science team lead for Veggie, “I think we have gained a lot from this, and we are learning both more about plants and fluids and also how better to operate between ground and station. Regardless of final flowering outcome we will have gained a lot

image via Scott Kelly

Lori Dorn
Lori Dorn

Lori is a Laughing Squid Contributing Editor based in New York City who has been writing blog posts for over a decade. She also enjoys making jewelry, playing guitar, taking photos and mixing craft cocktails.