Get ready for launch, it’s time for the latest edition of Gardeners off World!
21.08.2023 - 11:49 / theunconventionalgardener.com / Emma Doughty
Welcome to a special Valentine’s edition of Gardeners off World, where love is definitely in the recycled air!
The Veggie vegetable production system launched to the International Space Station (ISS) in April 2014. After growing two crops of ‘Outredgeous’ space lettuce, it’s next mission (VEG-01C) was to grow a bunch of flowers: the seeds chosen were a five-colour mix of Zinnia ‘Profusion’. Although they hit some problems along the way, Space Gardener Scott Kelly coaxed them into flowering in time for Valentine’s Day 2016:
If you’re in need of a last-minute Valentine’s card – NASA has got you covered! There are Celestial Valentine’s images on their Tumblr you can steal, a galaxy of romantic ecards to send, and even a few printable space Valentines.
“Blue and red wavelengths are the minimum needed to get good plant growth,” Wheeler said. “They are probably the most efficient in terms of electrical power conversion. The green LEDs help to enhance the human visual perception of the plants, but they don’t put out as much light as the reds and blues.”
Would a rose in space still smell as sweet? That was the question International Flavors and Fragrances (IFF), Inc., of New York, set out to answer in October 1998. They partnered with the Wisconsin Center for Space Automation and Robotics (WCSAR) to modify the ASTROCULTURE (TM) commercial plant research facility to incorporate IFF’s proprietary technology for sampling and analysing essential oils.
They then used it fly a miniature rose (“Overnight Scentsation”) onSpace Shuttle Discovery flight STS-95. Now, this was a fairly special flight for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it returned Mercury astronaut John Glenn to space. Glenn went from being the first American to orbit the Earth
Get ready for launch, it’s time for the latest edition of Gardeners off World!
This week, Gardeners Off World watched as the latest SpaceX launch (CRS-19) delivered more exciting experiments to the International Space Station (ISS).
This morning, the Boeing Company’s CST-100 Starliner capsule launched on its first mission to the International Space Station. The aim of this uncrewed Orbital Test Flight (OFT) was to demonstrate that the spacecraft is ready to transport NASA astronauts and cargo. An instrumented mannequin named Rosie (named after the WW2 icon Rosie the Riveter, and a nod to the trailblazing women in aerospace and human spaceflight) took the place of a crew.
Welcome interplanetary gardeners! This week’s Gardeners off World starts with a little video Boeing has put together of the inside of the crew cabin on the recent Starliner test flight (the one that took tree seeds into space). You can see Rosie the instrumented mannequin, but the highlight is watching astronaut Snoopy float about as the spacecraft reaches orbit, and then plop back down into his seat during the descent!
Hello! Welcome to Gardeners off World. The big news for space gardeners this week is that NASA has determined that the salads grown in Veggie are safe to eat. And a team of Russian researchers have developed a prototype for an orbital greenhouse. The Orbital Biological Automatic Module includes smart lighting to accelerate plant growth, specialised hydroponics, automated irrigation and harvesting solutions. It could be heading to the International Space Station (ISS) – “Humanity’s home in Low Earth Orbit” – in the next few years.
Hello! Welcome to Gardeners Off World. This week we’ll start with a musical interlude, as violinist Lindsey Stirling recently performed her song, Artemis, on top of the Launch Control Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center:
Hello, and welcome to Gardeners Off World, your round-up of interplanetary news and views. NASA’s Christina Koch returned to Earth yesterday, after spending 328 days onboard the International Space Station (ISS) – the longest single spaceflight by a woman. Koch participated in three expeditions – 59, 60 and 61 – during her first spaceflight. ESA’s Luca Parmitano and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Skvortsov came home on the same flight.
Hello, and welcome to Gardeners off World! On 15 February, the NG-13 cargo ship blasted off from NASA Wallops on its way to the International Space Station (ISS). It arrived on 18 February, where NASA astronaut Drew Morgan caught it with the Canadarm2 robotic arm.
What did you get for Christmas? Hopefully something good, something seedy and something spacey!
This week, Gardeners Off World is blasting off to celebrate an off-world Thanksgiving. Let’s rehydrate some turkey!
Hello, and welcome to Gardeners Off World, a weekly round-up of news and entertainment for people who rather fancy getting their hands dirty on another planet!
Welcome to Gardeners Off World, my weekly round-up of news for green-fingered space nuts! It’s time to suit up and head out into the solar system