When you think of gardening, you probably imagine an earthly activity full of soil, water, and growing things. Because after all, plants need the Earth to grow, right?
Well, it turns out, not exactly. While they still obviously need the nutrients that soil provides, they don't actually need to be on the planet — at all.
That's what the astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) are currently studying.
To see how microgravity affects the growth of plants, they've created an entire flower garden right on the space station. So not only is it a pretty reminder of home, but it's also a valuable science experiment!
By studying how plants grow with very little gravity, scientists are hoping to develop ways for astronauts to grow their own food, at least in part, on long space missions.
This will allow them to have fresh, healthy food and rely less on packaged food from Earth. But as you can see in this video of an astronaut who just wants some pudding, eating food in close-to-zero gravity has its own challenges!
So while this little flower might seem humble, it's a symbol of the amazing advances in science that allow us to explore the stars!
The flower, a zinnia, was captured on camera by astronaut Scott Kelly, who you might know from his Twitter account that chronicles his year aboard the ISS.
Here's the zinnia enjoying some sunlight for the first time after growing up under artificial light.
When some of the zinnia plants grew mold, people back on Earth were worried that their experiment was doomed.
But actually, it gave the astronauts a wealth of information about how plants and fungi grow in space, and how micro-ecosystems are formed so far from Earth.
They're hoping to use this knowledge to get humans moving through space, and one day, get to Mars.
"Yes, there are other life forms in space!" Scott Kelly joked on Twitter.
While flowers are just the first step, NASA is hoping to develop ways to grow more complex plants, like tomatoes, in space.
Of course, gardening in space looks a little different than gardening on Earth. Astronauts noticed that these zinnia plants are slightly larger than their terrestrial counterparts, which might be an effect of the microgravity.
Earlier this year, astronauts grew (and ate) lettuce on the ISS. And the place where it's grown? It's called the Veggie Facility.
It might seem mind-boggling to think that delicate plants could grow in the cold, dark expanse of space, but with the right care, they can!
By learning how flowers can grow and flourish in space, we're a step closer to making a little more of the universe our home.
If you dream of the stars, follow Scott Kelly's Twitter to get a firsthand account of what it's like to live in space, and be sure to SHARE this amazing piece of botanical history with the gardeners you know!
