Student Plant Experiment Begins on the Space Station

Student Plant Experiment Takes Root on International Space Station and In Classrooms, NSBRI

“A unique science project designed to sow the excitement of scientific discovery in students is sprouting this week aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The Plants in Space project will allow students and teachers to examine root growth in microgravity and compare the results with those from plants used in their own ground-based experiments. The National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI) is funding the project, which began Tuesday when ISS astronauts planted Brassica rapa (Wisconsin Fast Plants(R)) seeds during the first of four scheduled five-day trials. A free, downloadable teacher’s guide provides information about the project and the equipment needed by educators and students to design and conduct experiments in their classrooms.”