NASA astronaut Scott Kelly shares photos of first flower in space

The astronaut tweeted out pictures of a blooming orange zinnia that was grown in space.

Scott Kelly, astronaut, space flower, zinnia, flower in space, #yearinspace

A photo of the orange zinnia flower that was grown in space. Astronaut Scott Kelly tweeted out this picture on January 16, 2016. (Source: Twitter)

Thanks to NASA astronaut Scott Kelly, people around the world have been getting a glimpse of outer space on a regular basis. From how the south of India looks to the gorgeous blue of a Himalayan lake, Kelly has been regularly tweeting out images of his life in #YearInSpace.

The most recent set of images to capture his — and the world’s — attention is that of an orange zinnia flower. “First ever flower grown in space makes its debut,” he tweeted.

First ever flower grown in space makes its debut! #SpaceFlower #zinnia #YearInSpace pic.twitter.com/2uGYvwtLKr

— Scott Kelly (@StationCDRKelly) January 16, 2016

This was followed by another tweet: “Yes, there are other life forms in space!”

Yes, there are other life forms in space! #SpaceFlower #YearInSpace pic.twitter.com/BJFWvQXmBB

— Scott Kelly (@StationCDRKelly) January 16, 2016

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Kelly even tweeted a picture of the zinnia’s first outing in the sun.

#SpaceFlower out in the sun for the first time! #YearInSpace pic.twitter.com/Cghu9XGv1J

— Scott Kelly (@StationCDRKelly) January 17, 2016

A NASA article on the why the zinnia was selected as part of the plant-growing experiment in outer space says, “They were chosen because they can help scientists understand how plants flower and grow in microgravity.”

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