Jan. 8, 2016

The arrival of 2016 was greeted with important news at theSpace Station: the growth of the zinnia plants, which were planted in the Veggie facility on 16 November.
For the first time, this new experiment in the “cosmic greenhouse” involves a flowering plant. The ‘space gardener’ who kicked off the new plantation was NASA astronaut Kjell Lindgren, who returned to Earth on 11 December 2015.

After just over a month and a half in the Veggie facility, with its system that provides plants with water, nourishment and light, the zinnias (on the left) have started to grow and are now been attended to by astronauts Scott Kelly from NASA, who is on a ‘one-year mission’, and Tim Peake from ESA, who has only been on board the ISS since 15 December.
The rhythm of growth of the zinnias differs from one plant to another and, therefore, Kelly and Peake are giving ‘personalized’ care to each plant, for example when watering them.

“The flowering of the plants, which is expected to take place in June, could take place on schedule - explains Sara Piccirillo, from the Human Flight and Microgravity unit of the Italian Space Agency - and it is not surprising that the six little plants are growing at different speeds. In fact, one of the scientific goals of the experiment is the possibility of exploring whether or not using growing supports with different levels porosity and administering different combinations of nutrients can influence the development of the plants.”
The experiment is designed to verify the behaviour of the flowering plants in conditions of microgravity, especially with respect to particularly critical environmental parameters likelighting, and to study the methods of preservation of the seedsin orbit.

The importance of this test also lies in the fact that it is preparatory for the practice of growing fruit-bearing plants andvegetables like tomatoes, the seeds of which should be on board the ‘cosmic house’ in 2017.
The Veggie facility, created by the American company Orbital Technologies, already made the headlines on 10 August 2015 when the astronauts (on the right) picked and ate theRomaine red lettuce that was planted and grown in microgravity.

The significance of this experiment, in the context of studies carried out on bioregeneration systems, is linked to the possibility of autonomously producing food in orbit, an element of fundamental importance for travel and stays of long duration in space.
Through the aforementioned research activities in the fields of bioregeneration and systems of living in space, these scenarios take on an increasingly tangible countenance, thanks also to the commitment of the Italian Space Agency. For a long time, theItalian Space Agency has been active in these areas, holding a leading role, through the national coordination carried out by IBIS (Italian Bio-regenerative Systems).