Welcome to an out of this world 2016

With a frosty start to the new year you could be forgiven for staying inside from the cold, rather than trowelling around the flower beds. However those feeling a little more intrepid have gone that one step futher for plant-kind, and have grown the first flower in space.

Orange Zinnia

If you've ever wondered if it was possible to grow a 'Orange Zinnia' in zero gravity, you can be assured that it is possible. Houston Nasa control was initially concerned in December when problems arose with the onset of mould, but super green fingered astronaut Scott Kelly recently tweeted a full recovery, much to the relief of ground control monitoring there twitter accounts.

This comes as great news for those interested in a future manned mission to Mars. Nasa's plant growth system Veggie was delivered in 2014, and have already had a successful harvest of lettuce, and have plans for tomotoes in 2017.