18th Jan, 2016

Zinnia is first flower grown in space

The flower was grown as part of an experiment astronauts are conducting on how plants grow in microgravity. 

The flowers were grown inside the Veggie lab aboard International Space Station (ISS) which was installed in early May 2014. 

Growing zinnia plants will help advance our knowledge of how plants flower in the Veggie growth system, and will enable fruiting plants like tomatoes to be grown and eaten in space using Veggie as the in-orbit garden

The system, according to scientists, uses red, blue, and green LED lights to simulate sunlight, making the successful growth of the flower