For the December 3 launch, Orbital ATK said it plans to use a different rocket – the workhorse Atlas V – which has been used to put many satellites into orbit but has never been used to send cargo to the space station.
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It’s the first time for a flowering crop experiment to take place on the orbiting laboratory, and follows the successful cultivation of vegetables on the ISS in trials conducted over the last few years. “And if any of them were going to space”.
The global Space Station suffered a small power failure on Friday – one that doesn’t pose any immediate dangers to its astronaut crew. NASA announced that astronaut Kjell Lindgren had activated a “Veggie” plant expansion complement along with a rooting “pillows” containing Zinnia seeds aboard a ISS on Monday.
The Zinnias will grow for a total of 60 days, which is twice as long as the first and second crop of Outredgeous red romaine lettuce that grew on the space station beforehand. “Growing a blossoming product is more testing than growing a vegetative harvest, for example, lettuce”, said Gioia Massa, NASA Kennedy Space Center payload researcher for Veggie.
Every day, electroluminescence will be emitted by these red, green and blue sources, which will be active for 10 hours, and paused for 14 hours, in order to replicate day and night patterns encountered on Earth. Environmental and lighting parameters spin some-more critical.
Posting updates and photographs and tweeting about their experiences, both astronauts have made it an interesting run for space freaks. Flowers are also having a turn.
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Other study areas regarding the zinnias will be seed stow and germination for long periods; pollen and whether it will be an issue; and crew-morale impacts. The new information will aid in developments that will enable astronauts to grow and eat fruiting plants like tomatoes in space.
