Diary of a Space Zucchini

March 26
I havenew leaves!  I am no longer naked to thecosmos.  They are not as big as beforehowever they are just as green.  Broccoliand Sunflower have leaves as well and are vibrant.  We all have happy roots.  This is a hard to explain to a non-plant, butI am feeling very zucchini now.


March 27
We areall back in the space flight game. Tomorrow is a big day.  Anunplanted spacecraft is arriving with a cargo of much needed supplies.  If the automatics fail,we as crew have to be prepared to take over in the final stages ofdocking.  I am ready; it will not failbecause of me. 

March 28
Thecargo spacecraft arrived and docked without any problems.  We have had all this training, we haveprepared with leaf and stem just in case things go wrong.  There is a small voice inside that would likethe chance to use this training, thus saving the day in the face of amalady.  On the frontier of space, it isunwise to wish for malfunctions; you do not want to be a hero.

March31
We had along and tiring week.  There was muchactivity that took us well into Friday evening. We were all looking forward to some off duty time.  Gardener said he would treat us to somewindow time.  There is nothing likecatching a few rays to green up the foliage. Saturday morning, the big gardener that speaks from the wall told us thecargo vehicle had an electrical failure and might need to undergo a contingencyundock in the next day or two.  It wasplanned to stay docked for months where we could unpack the supplies in anorderly process over a three-week period. To save our precious supplies, we had one day to do three weeks ofwork.  With all the large bags floatingby, it was good to stay out of the way. Any one of them could have easily smash us into salad.  Later that evening, Gardener came by and wepresented him with our vibrant green and tickled his nose with our fresharoma.  When we saw a tired smile come tohis face, we knew we had done our part in this contingency.

Don’s blog also appears at airspacemag.com.

9 thoughts on “Diary of a Space Zucchini”

  1. Hey space Zucchini! I wish you will be like Jack’s bean tree so that people can climb on you and reach to the space!

    It is really strange to see that leafs are developing in a different way in space. Would it be possible to create a sustainable micro ecosystem inside ISS? so that you will need less cargo ships 🙂

  3. All Hail the Zucchini! (And of course the Gardener) Don’s blog really brightens my day, thank you. But there is a serious side to this- long trips will need to solve the issue of creating a true closed cycle system and without hurting the zucchini’s feelings, we need to do a little better than this.

  5. Best wishes to all the crew! I’m hoping to be present when my school, St. Anne’s Episcopal, Denver,CO USA will have a live connection with Station. This event is scheduled for 2 May, ~0700-0800, our time.
    I’m thrilled that the zucchini project is growing well. Several years ago my science classes participated with Station in growing beans and radishes. We were honored to be part of the project.
    Our school family has a special Station connect. One of our students is related to Commander Suni Williams, who will join ISS soon.
    We’ll be excited to speak with Station crew soon! Godspeed!

  6. Don, I love these posts; you really should consider making ‘Diary of a Space Zucchini’ into a book. Children of all ages (this one included) would love this, and think of the image boost to Zucchinis world wide.

  7. Little Rose, I am pleased to know you continue to get stronger, and that you are now able to return to your duties in space!

    I plan to tell the herbs of your adventures. You truly are inspirational!

    Yours Truly,
    Basil, the lemon tree
    Basil’s Gardener

  8. What a lovely way to describe these experiments! Very interesting. I wonder if the fruits produced will taste or look very different?

  9. I am so happy that Broc, Sunflower and Rose avoided the Great Compost and are happily growing leaves and roots again. We thank you for your contribution to the Mission and for the smiles you bring to us down here.

    A question for the Gardener: if the crew are consuming 10,000-12,000mg/day of sodium from their foods, would not a great amount of this be excreted into the Mystery Tea that Broc, Sunflower and Rose are enjoying? Or is it more of a question of the ratio between sodium and potassium for both Gardener and Phytological Mission Specialist?

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