The blooming zinnia flower at the International Space Station.
Future long-range trips, like one to Mars, would require humans to cultivate some of their own food, so understanding how plants grow in space is essential. That is why NASA started planting flower crops in space in 2015, when NASA astronaut Kjell Lindgren activated the Veggie system and its rooting "pillows" containing zinnia seeds.
Today, NASA released a photo of the zinnia plant that thrived on the International Space Station.
Sharing the image on social media platforms, the space agency wrote, "This zinnia was grown in orbit as part of the veggie facility aboard the International Space Station. Scientists have been studying plants in space since the 1970s, but this particular experiment was started on the ISS in 2015 by NASA astronaut Kjell Lindgren."
Explaining the importance of the space garden NASA wrote that "Our space garden isn't just for show: learning how plants develop in orbit will help us understand how to grow crops off the Earth, providing a valuable source of fresh food on long-term missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond."
NASA astronauts have also grown lettuce, tomatoes, and chile peppers on the ISS, among other vegetables-with plenty more plants to come.
According to NASA, the challenging process of growing the zinnias provided an exceptional opportunity for scientists back on Earth to better understand how plants grow in microgravity and for astronauts to practise doing what they'll be tasked with on a deep space mission: autonomous gardening.
Many science aficionados were enthused by the photograph, and they responded in great numbers in the comment section.
"Two special things that come together are flowers and space. Thank you, NASA," commented a user.
"Unbelievable and beautiful," wrote another user.