- Author: Amy Haug
As gardeners everywhere are planting their summer gardens, some school kids are starting seeds that have been in space. As part of an ongoing experiment with the Canadian Space Agency, NASA, and the First the Seed Foundation, students have an opportunity to cultivate their love for science and gardening. The project is called Tomatosphere and began in 2001. This project helps organizations like First the Seed Foundation and Let's Talk Science prepare for deep-space missions. Since astronauts on long-term missions will not be able to take enough food with them, they will need to grow their own food in space.
Tomato seeds are flown to the International Space Station (ISS), where they will spend about a month. The seeds are then flown back to earth and distributed to students along with control seeds (seeds that remained on earth) to germinate. The germination rates of the test and control groups are then compared.
The seeds have been delivered to more than 15,000 classrooms per year across the US and Canada. The most recent seeds were launched on SpaceX's ninth commercial resupply for NASA to the ISS last year. The seeds were aboard the ISS for 37 days and then returned to earth on the SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft.
Students and teachers participating in the program receive seeds from space and earthbound seeds to be planted and grown in their classrooms. Each plant's growth rate is monitored and recorded. The results are then compared to other student's data to access the effects of microgravity on seed germination.
If you are interested in the project or the results, check out NASA's website:
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/news/tomatosphere