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| Norwegian flowers in space |
| [30.08.2007, 11:33pm, Thu. GMT] |
Seeds of Norwegian flowers were on board when space craft «Endeavour» left Kennedy Space Center in Florida this week. Seeds of vårskrinneblom will help scientists understand how to grow flowers with no gravity, knowledge necessary in order to send man to Mars. Tiny seeds of Norwegian flower vårskrinneblom have left for an unusual journal this week, aiming to help scientists understand how flowers can grow while weightless. Professor Tor-Henning Iversen at the Norwegian university of science and techology, NTNU, in Trondheim, has waited and prepared for this moment for years. "Our experiment is important in order to select and develop new species that can handle weightlessness," he said.This is vital knowledge for man's trip to Mars. Lasting approximately three years, crew must be able to cultivate plants for eating while on the way to the red planet. While the inedible vårskrinneblom certainly won't be part of the supplies in the future, the flower's current trip to space can provide scientists with necessary data for future trips.
The flowers even have their own "gardener" in space, Iversen told Aftenposten. American Clay Anderson has been trained to take care of the flowers by people at NTNU. Anderson, however, will not operate on his own. The team on the ground in Trondheim will keep an eye on the seeds day and night during their trip to space.
Aftenposten English Web Desk |
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