As we all know, science is developing faster than ever before. Recently, NASA astronaut Scott Kelly showed a photo of the orange zinnia (百日菊) online. It is the first flower to ever bloom (开花) in space and has attracted much attention all over the world. This may be the most exciting news in the field of science. The zinnia in the picture is so beautiful and looks similar to that on earth. Kelly cared for it for more than a month.
Scientists chose the zinnia flower species because it has a longer growth cycle. As a result, it can help them understand how plants flower and develop in microgravity (微重力)
"While the plants haven't grown perfectly," said Gioia Massa, the NASA science team leader, "I think we have gained a lot from this, and we are learning both more about plants and how to better operate between the ground and the station."
This was not the first time that scientists had tried to grow the zinnia in space. Other astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) began growing the colorful flowers last year. However, the zinnia leaked (渗漏) water out of the tips of the leaves. What was worse, the spread of bacteria was wrecking its growth. Kelly then took over the operation and began taking care of the zinnia as he would in his own garden.
The ISS also successfully grew red romaine lettuce in July 2015. Kelly even took a bite of the harvested plants and posted the photo. NASA's new experiment using the plant growth system will be started later. Astronauts will try to grow Chinese cabbage, dwarf tomatoes and so on.
