iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Dr. ChrisTina @spacebotanynerd.bsky.social · 27/02/2026

Focus. Posture. Drive. It's been here all along. This photo is from 7 years ago. Our gymnast is the one in fuchsia. This year she competes in Xcel Gold. We appreciate the Xcel track for USA Gymnastics. Her coach has more freedom to build routines that highlight her strengths. @usagym.org

Children lined up standing on a beam. The girls have various postures. One child looks especially intent on the instructor's words.

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Dr. ChrisTina @spacebotanynerd.bsky.social · 27/02/2026

I was going to share a then/now memory, but she has become a more private person and hasn't wanted to share many photos lately.

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Dr. ChrisTina @spacebotanynerd.bsky.social · 27/02/2026

I am a Space Botany Nerd and my oldest child is a Gymnast. When I announced her birth to my lab mates they joked that she had finished her neutral buoyancy experiments and decided to start experimenting with 1g. I laughed, but they were right. She has been building those muscles since Day 1.

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Dr. ChrisTina @spacebotanynerd.bsky.social · 27/02/2026

I love the word Phyllotaxis. It's delightful.

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Dr. ChrisTina @spacebotanynerd.bsky.social · 15/02/2026

As the world around us feels impossibly dark, I am building a life of light and joy.

A brilliant rainbow butterfly kite flying against a pale blue sky with striped clouds. The ocean is behind it, with a launch pad in the distance.

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Dr. ChrisTina @spacebotanynerd.bsky.social · 15/02/2026

I have had this kite for over a year and this was its first time flying. I had asked for kites for my birthday a handful of years ago, along with an opportunity to fly them with the family. The kites were provided. But the opportunity never materialized. Until now.

Children running together on the beach. They are wearing long sleeves to protect against the sun. They fly two brilliant rainbow butterfly kites against a pale blue sky with striped clouds. The ocean is behind them.

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Dr. ChrisTina @spacebotanynerd.bsky.social · 15/02/2026

Yesterday the wind wasn't the best for kite flying. We brought a kite to the beach anyway. And we had a wonderful time getting it into the air.

Children are flying a kite on a beach. Waves tumble in the distance. A pink shovel is in the foreground.

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Dr. ChrisTina @spacebotanynerd.bsky.social · 09/02/2026

For those who worked on the Shuttle program, this building is a sacred crypt. It contains the old husk of their Bird on display, showing the scars and wear after its final re-entry. Children laugh and play around them, as they stand there remembering, paying their respects. Here is Atlantis.

A view of Atlantis surrounded by a children's tour group, with gray haired experts explaining the ins and outs of the Shuttle.

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Dr. ChrisTina @spacebotanynerd.bsky.social · 08/02/2026

Their curiosity is always met with stories. This is a place of contrasts. Of sadness. Of joy. It is a place of learning. We love the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. 8/8

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Dr. ChrisTina @spacebotanynerd.bsky.social · 08/02/2026

They walk downstairs to the Columbia and Challenger memorials, and gaze on the twisted wreckage. They stand there in stunned silence as tears stream from their eyes. Sometimes a curious child looks up and asks one of these pensive people to explain. 7/8

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Dr. ChrisTina @spacebotanynerd.bsky.social · 08/02/2026

It contains the old husk of their Bird on display, showing the scars and wear after its final re-entry. Children laugh and play around them, as they stand there remembering, paying their respects. 6/8

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Dr. ChrisTina @spacebotanynerd.bsky.social · 08/02/2026

And you can view the real Atlantis, beside a model of the Hubble telescope that it repaired. But to others, who worked on the Shuttle program, this building is a sacred crypt. 5/8

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Dr. ChrisTina @spacebotanynerd.bsky.social · 08/02/2026

The building contains flight simulators, and the Shuttle Launch Experience where you get to ride in a shuttle launch simulation, passing through MECO and feeling like you are floating above the Earth - without ever leaving the building. 4/8

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Dr. ChrisTina @spacebotanynerd.bsky.social · 08/02/2026

This building is a place of joy and celebration to my children. It houses the super fun slide that teaches you about the angles of re-entry. It has a climbing system high in the air that is a model of the ISS, where you can crawl in through the Columbus module and exit through a spacewalk. 3/8

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Dr. ChrisTina @spacebotanynerd.bsky.social · 08/02/2026

She asked to borrow my camera to capture this shot. The blue of the sky is reflected in the water. Atlantis is written on the side of the building. A replica of the bright orange External Tank and bright white Solid Rocket Boosters pokes out above the building. 2/8

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Dr. ChrisTina @spacebotanynerd.bsky.social · 08/02/2026

I spy... something Blue! 💙 While we waited for Ma's work friend to pick up a badge at the Badging Office, we were a little bored. We thought about what we could do with our time. We love playing I spy! Our 12 year old looked over and saw this shot. 1/8

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Dr. ChrisTina @spacebotanynerd.bsky.social · 07/02/2026

16 years ago I walked into the Space Life Sciences Lab for the first time. I took a road trip from Ohio to the Kennedy Space Center. I was a graduate student. I arrived to watch the Tropi2 plant experiment launch to the ISS on STS-130 and to do our preflight verification test for BRIC-16.

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Dr. ChrisTina @spacebotanynerd.bsky.social · 22/10/2025

Today was the first time that I found Tolkien in the Science Fiction section of a library.

Book spines showing three books by Tolkien and one by Topping. Several of the books have a little alien sticker that says "Science Fiction."

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Dr. ChrisTina @spacebotanynerd.bsky.social · 15/09/2025

How will you bring joy into your life today? Yesterday I couldn't find any good reason not to put on my swimsuit and spend a few hours in a pool with my children. So I did. And it was fun. I'm sharing a photo of me in my swimsuit with you. Perhaps it will motivate you. #juststrong

A woman with blue eyes, light skin, and dark graying hair wearing a colorful swimsuit looks up at a camera.

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Dr. ChrisTina @spacebotanynerd.bsky.social · 01/09/2025

The Botanical world mourns today. A giant in the field is no more. Rest in peace, Donovan Kirkwood. news.mongabay.com/short-articl... This is another piece about his work: www.nature.com/articles/d44...

A man stands outdoors looking carefully at a plant. He wears a hat and long sleeves.

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Dr. ChrisTina @spacebotanynerd.bsky.social · 31/08/2025

Annoyed by all those containers that don't match a top? Try growing plants in them. The shallow ones are great for propagating. This one is a Rubbermaid container. Durable, nice, but not too useful once the top is lost. Bonus, if the top ever turns up, wash it out and use. @rubbermaid.bsky.social

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Dr. ChrisTina @spacebotanynerd.bsky.social · 30/08/2025

A little purple flower peeks out between the bright pink bracts of this ornamental turmeric. It shares a pot with a variegated spider plant.

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Dr. ChrisTina @spacebotanynerd.bsky.social · 15/07/2025

Our friends encountered them in Utah when out for a hike. Even ripping a leaf off one of these will release droplets 💧 of fluid that could harm a child. Want to identify the plants around you? We love the iNaturalist app.

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Dr. ChrisTina @spacebotanynerd.bsky.social · 15/07/2025

Are you going for a stroll today? Do you plan to stop and smell the flowers? 🪷🌹 🌺 🌹 🌺 🪷 It's a great thing to do - but be careful out there. 🚫 Don't touch these purple flowers! 🟣💜🟪🚫☠️⚠️ Monkshood! Also known as wolfsbane. The scientific name is Acontium. Everything in this genus is dangerous.

Screenshot of the identification in iNaturalist

Purple flowers with green leaves as a backdrop

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Dr. ChrisTina @spacebotanynerd.bsky.social · 18/06/2025

Botany is in the house! Life Sciences Department Botany Section Don't recognize the sign? It's a Star Trek reference. Here's a link explaining more. memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Botany_...

Radish plants growing out of special gaskets in clear boxes. There's a black sign with white lettering that says "life sciences department Botany section."

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Reposted by Dr. ChrisTina

The Planetary Society @planetarysociety.bsky.social · 30/05/2025

BREAKING: The president's budget request just hit Congress, which could usher in a dark age for NASA space science. Congress has the final say, but you can help shape the outcome by adding your name to our global petition. This is just the start of our fight. Sign the petition: planet.ly/petition

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Dr. ChrisTina @spacebotanynerd.bsky.social · 01/06/2025

Want to see NASA Space plant hardware (BRIC-PDFU) put together? With music? Here is a video the Kiss Lab put together many years ago. youtu.be/SeH9dFBWgz0?...

youtu.be

Hardware Susan wmusic

YouTube video by botanynerd

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Dr. ChrisTina @spacebotanynerd.bsky.social · 29/05/2025

The Barbie Doll designed after Samantha Cristoforetti is on sale on Amazon right now! Here's an affiliate link. amzn.to/3ZHhFRJ

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Reposted by Dr. ChrisTina

Botany One @botany.one · 25/03/2025

The world's smallest flowering plant might solve our biggest space challenges. New research shows duckweed (Wolffia globosa) thrives in altered gravity—potentially feeding future astronauts while using minimal resources. Read more at wp.me/pdRZhH-lPJ #Botany #PlantScience 🧪

wp.me

Wolffia globosa and its potential for space agriculture

Have you ever wondered what space food looks like? A recent study published in Scientific Reports by Romano and...

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Reposted by Dr. ChrisTina

Gardeners of the Galaxy @orbitalgardens.bsky.social · 26/03/2025

This wasn't how I planned on starting my day, but NASA's 'First Woman' graphic novel begins with a woman of colour harvesting and serving a space-grown salad, and I'm peeved it has been removed from the NASA website. spacebotany.uk/blog/the-fir...

spacebotany.uk

The First Woman’s Space Salad - Space Botany

NASA's 'First Woman' graphic novel opens with a woman of colour harvesting and eating a space-grown salad.

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Dr. ChrisTina @spacebotanynerd.bsky.social · 21/03/2025

"Ma, why are you looking at so many books?" "It's fun." "I don't see how that's fun. I would find it overwhelming and frustrating. I have so much more fun with video games." "I find video games overwhelming and frustrating. This is my kind of puzzle game." "Oh. What are you puzzling over?"

Plant biology books stacked open and note cards with notes.

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Dr. ChrisTina @spacebotanynerd.bsky.social · 21/03/2025

I never really show off the cool stuff on my wall. Shuttle drawn by a former intern. Painting of microgreens in Microgravity by a colleague. Cover photo of a spaceflight study. Autographed astronaut photo. A cross stitch by a friend. A medal from a 5K run that I was especially grateful to finish.

A woman with a pink polo shirt and glasses stands in front of a wall with space themed photos, all of which have special meaning to her.

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Dr. ChrisTina @spacebotanynerd.bsky.social · 03/03/2025

Yesterday the children saw this critter while we were hiking. I was shocked that they even saw it! I certainly didn't. Our 12 year old tried taking photos of it on her phone. She could not get it to focus how she wanted. She asked me to do it with my camera. She approved of this photo.

A grasshopper clings to a branch. It is camouflaged.

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Dr. ChrisTina @spacebotanynerd.bsky.social · 02/03/2025

Make the choice that is for your highest good!

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Dr. ChrisTina @spacebotanynerd.bsky.social · 21/02/2025

Want to know about the Global Arctic Seed Vault? Here's a tour. youtu.be/2_OEsf-1qgY?...

youtu.be

Inside the Svalbard Seed Vault

YouTube video by Veritasium

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Reposted by Dr. ChrisTina

Gardeners of the Galaxy @orbitalgardens.bsky.social · 15/02/2025

There are quite a few images of NASA astronaut Megan McArthur with the space chiles she helped grow for the Plant Habitat-04 experiment. She looks really happy in this one! Image credit: NASA Taken in Sep 2021, when chiles were growing for the first time on the ISS, in the Advanced Plant Habitat

NASA astronaut Megan McArthur, with her long dark hair rising above her, grins as she floats next to the Advanced Plant Habitat on the International Space Station. The door is open to show the small chilli plants growing inside the lit cabinet.

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Reposted by Dr. ChrisTina

Gardeners of the Galaxy @orbitalgardens.bsky.social · 14/02/2025

This photo, taken on 10 March 2017, shows Dr Anna-Lisa Paul of the Florida Space Plants Lab working on the Advanced Plant Experiment-4 (APEX-4) in the Telescience Support Center at NASA Glenn. More details on the website. spacebotany.uk/blog/wis-ann... #WomenInSTEM

spacebotany.uk

Women in STEM – Anna-Lisa Paul with APEX-4 - Space Botany

This photo, taken on 10 March 2017, shows Dr Anna-Lisa Paul of the Florida Space Plants Lab working on the Advanced Plant Experiment-4 (APEX-4) in the Telescience Support Center at NASA Glenn.

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Reposted by Dr. ChrisTina

Gardeners of the Galaxy @orbitalgardens.bsky.social · 18/02/2025

Ah, this was a fun one to learn about. Last year, astrobotanist Rob Ferl conducted his own experiment on a suborbital Blue Origin flight. That's interesting in its own right, but it turns out he packed some fossils to take with him! #space #Palaeontology #fossils spacebotany.uk/blog/rocketi...

spacebotany.uk

Rocketing Through Time: How Fossils Travelled from Ancient Earth to the Edge of Space - Space Botany

When astrobotanist Rob Ferl flew on Blue Origin's New Shepherd rocket last year, he took some fossils along for the ride.

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