Space Flower:2016-01-17

A National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) astronaut Scott Kelley shared picture of the first flower, he and the other austronauts have managed to grow in space. They also grew red romaine lettuce earlier this year. The flower is zinnia, native of the Southwestern U.S. Zinnias have been chosen because "it is more sensitive to environmental parameters and light characteristics. It has a longer growth duration between 60 and 80 days. Thus, it is a more difficult plant to grow, and allowing it to flower, along with the longer growth duration, makes it a good precursor to a tomato plant." - Trent Smith, Veggie project manager at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida stated in a press release.