A spacefaring zucchini aboard #ISS turns over a new leaf in @astro_Pettit's #spaceblog: bit.ly/Jqx1ez
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March 26
I have new leaves!� I am no longer naked to the cosmos.� They are not as big as before however they are just as green.� Broccoli and Sunflower have leaves as well and are vibrant.� We all have happy roots.� This is a hard to explain to a non-plant, but I am feeling very zucchini now.
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March 27
We are all back in the space flight game.� Tomorrow is a big day.� An unplanted 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 of docking.� I am ready; it will not fail because of me.�
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March 28
The cargo spacecraft arrived and docked without any problems.� We have had all this training, we have prepared with leaf and stem just in case things go wrong.� There is a small voice inside that would like the chance to use this training, thus saving the day in the face of a malady.� On the frontier of space, it is unwise to wish for malfunctions; you do not want to be a hero.
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March 31�
We had a long and tiring week.� There was much activity that took us well into Friday evening.� We were all looking forward to some off duty time.� Gardener said he would treat us to some window time.� There is nothing like catching a few rays to green up the foliage.� Saturday morning, the big gardener that speaks from the wall told us the cargo vehicle had an electrical failure and might need to undergo a contingency undock in the next day or two.� It was planned to stay docked for months where we could unpack the supplies in an orderly process over a three-week period.� To save our precious supplies, we had one day to do three weeks of work.� With all the large bags floating by, 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 we presented him with our vibrant green and tickled his nose with our fresh aroma.� When we saw a tired smile come to his face, we knew we had done our part in this contingency.
Don's blog also appears at airspacemag.com