Veggie Arrives on the International Space Station

On April 18th, SpaceX-3 blasted off from Cape Canaveral with a plant growth chamber called Veggie, designed to make gardens thrive in weightlessness. The first crop will be a variety of lettuce called ‘Outredgeous.’ The first crop of Outredgeous should be ready for harvesting in late May, but astronauts won’t be allowed to taste-test.

First, the lettuce has to come back to Earth for analysis, to determine if it is safe to eat.  Scientists will look for any bacteria growing on the leaves If everything checks out, future crops may be eaten.

This latest development in plants in space is a great extension to the NES lesson, Engineering Design Challenge: Lunar Plant Growth Chamber.

For more information about Veggie, visit Science @ NASA or watch the video.

NES Professional Development Web Seminars: Week of Jan. 13, 2014

Engineering Design Challenge: Lunar Plant Growth Chamber
Audience: 6-8 and Informal Educators
Event Date: Jan. 13, 2014, at 6:30 p.m. EST

Weather and Climate: Satellite Meteorology
Audience: 6-8 and Informal Educators
Event Date: Jan. 15, 2014, at 6:30 p.m. EST

Meteorology: How Clouds Form
Audience: 6-8 and Informal Educators
Event Date: Jan. 16, 2014, at 6:30 p.m. EST

For more information and to register online, visit the NSTA Learning Center.

Student Spaceflight Experiments Program Inspires with Mission 1

Johnston Middle School in HoustonMiddle school students are doing research on the International Space Station? You better believe it!

“Insulin’s Molecular Structure in Microgravity” and “Hepatocyte Development in Bioscaffolds Infused with TGFB3 in Microgravity” are both titles of experiments developed by students from Johnston Middle School, in Houston, Texas.

For proof of the inspirational impact of the International Space Station, you need only speak to the educators of the students participating in the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program, or SSEP. The program offered 41,200 students from around the nation the chance to propose and design a microgravity experiment with the chance of having their experiment flown aboard the space station.

You may read more about this story at www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/news/SSEP.html.

See how you can inspire your students by getting them involved in a simulated International Space Station experience. Log in to the NASA Explorer Schools Virtual Campus website and check out the featured lesson Engineering Design Challenge: Lunar Plant Growth Chamber and the NASA Now program Exercise Physiology: Countermeasures.