NASA to grow flowers in space for first time

Growing flowers first in ‘Veggie growth system‘ will provide knowledge on cultivating plants in space.It is the first time that a flowering crop will be grown on the orbiting laboratory

• NASA astronaut Kjell Lindgren activated the Veggie plant growth system and its rooting “pillows” containing Zinnia seeds on the space station.

Veggie growth system :  

• The Veggie system was developed by Orbital Technologies Corporation(ORBITEC) in Madison, Wisconsin, and tested at Kennedy.
• Lindgren will turn on the red, blue and green LED lights, activate the water and nutrient system to Veggie, and monitor the plant growth.
• The Zinnias will grow for 60 days, which is twice as long as the first and second crop of Outredgeous red romaine lettuce that grew on the space station.
• During the growth cycle, the LED lights will be on for 10 hours and off for 14 hours in order to stimulate the plants to flower.
• Growing tomato plants on the space station is planned for 2017,

Key points :

• NASA  Headquarters : Washington, D.C.
• NASA Administrator : Charles Frank Bolden