The happiness that transmits the “Pellacchia” Scott, a veteran of the US Air Force, is contagious while telling on line of those flowers that grew up under the eyes and for which there had to phone to Interflora. No, for him, even though the dome ISS sees 16 twilights drug every 24 hours, it would not be of any consolation read Gozzano and his love for “roses that did not pick.”
He, Scott, who will remain a full year up there in space, he wanted to seize the zinnias, all right, he wanted at all costs to put flowers in “his” space station and fought like a lion to do that which deserves compliments least Paul Pejrone.
THE BATTLE AGAINST MOULD
The flowers of the first flowers spatial hatched when Italy was going down Saturday, January 16 and it is a date to be inserted immediately in history, because behind it is the epic, lead into orbit and began last November when US astronauts Kjell Lindgreen and Scott Kelly (yes, the twin dell’ugualmente astronaut Mark, remained in Houston) have planted the seeds of zinnias in greenhouse Veggie in which last year grew the first lettuce (lettuce Red Roman) then eaten directly from the tenants of ‘Iss. Already in 2011 the same Italian astronaut Paolo Nespoli was able to grow lettuce ISS, but for him no salad in space because they preferred to bring the first fruits on the ground to study them. The rest of Italy, thanks to ASI, is a pioneer in this area with the national coordination IBIS (Italian Bio-regenerativeSystems).
But it is clear why experiments to grow lettuce in orbit (traveling to Mars and then also up there among the red sands something fresh Luca Parmitano will even eat it), because groped with flowers? Search and find in the wardrobe ISS never will a spacesuit with the eyelet in reverse and even, at least in this period, there Samantha Cristoferetti ISS who donate a bouquet of zinnias.
Actually success with zinnias, resistant members of the family of Astaraceae, native to arid areas of Mexico, opening the opportunity to try it in the same environment in microgravity with other flowering plants, yes, we understand each other, vegetables. And tomatoes, scheduled for next year. And, even so, there comes to mind the botanist Mark Watney, aka Matt Damon in The Martian, when you save your skin by growing potatoes and caresses the first plant that comes out in his greenhouse craft.
Just the protagonist of that novel and movie is cited by Scott Kelly in telling the satisfaction of finally seeing the bloom astro-zinnias after the scare of recent weeks. As advanced, the greenhouse American Orbital Technologies had failed to prevent the creation of mold and “rust” on the seedlings of zinnias still frail. Mold in orbit, alien mold, mildew alien words. Scott and Kjell, which is well biologist, they had tried all acting on the power supply systems of the greenhouse that provides light (LED, a type of lighting now also common on Earth, but just invented for astronauts), water and nutrients, but around Christmas mold – damn – he seemed to have taken over. Damn mold, so relentlessly on seedlings that can never be touched by a breath of fresh air that is not recycled indefinitely and that can never be heated by a sunbeam. But Scott, with the help also of English Tim Peake, first Englishman ISS, he never gave up. There had even spoken, using bass, with those plans in jeopardy. And little by little mold and rust stains were regressed. A company that takes on not just the moral those who must spend twelve months without Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter in those places with a tight program of backbreaking work.
And on Saturday night, just before removing from the turn of the weekend cleaning touching each astronaut, Scott is back to take a look at zinnias and saw the first flowers bloom. “Yes, there are other life forms in space” tweeted moved and happy as a child.
what to call them?
Zinnias Scott, astro-zinnias could call them from now on botanists. Or you could pay homage to the story of one who until recently had never gone into space, but we had to travel so often among the stars: Zinnias Bowie.
Sunday, January 17, 2016, 01:06 – Last Updated: 18:23
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