A high tech greenhouse for the space station will be launched in mid February 2011 by ESA (European Space Agency), with an invite to schoolchildren aged 12-14 to conduct their own science experiments. Paolo Nespoli will pack along an Orbital Technologies Corporation designed greenhouse the next time he travels to the International Space Station for his MagISStra mission on behalf of ESA's Directorate of Human Spaceflight.
Future space missions to Mars will need greenhouses to provide fresh food, oxygen, absorb carbon dioxide, and brighten-up the emptiness of a long space journey. Taking living plants along and caring for them will be beneficial for the mental health of the astronauts, as well as provide a reminder of the beauty of planet Earth.
Paolo will make observations and take video of the thale cress (Arabidopsis thaliana) plant as it germinates and grows. Schoolchildren will be asked to grow the same plant in a similar greenhouse at the same time. Paolo will post his findings to the MagISStra website and the schoolchildren can compare the plant growth with their own experiments done on Earth.
The children will be able to share their own observations with other kids over the ten-week science project using a Europe-wide network that allows scientists to collaborate on their work. Final experiment results from all the projects will then be sent to ESA’s Human Spaceflight education team, who will create a final online lesson for schools and teachers to download.
Schools who wish to participate in the MagISStra experiment can order their mini greenhouse ground kits from ESA's Human Spaceflight education website. Instructions can be downloaded in 13 languages from ESA's Human Spaceflight education website from January 2011.
The February 2011 mission will start with a live event linking together nearly 750 children in four locations in Europe: European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany; ESRIN in Frascati, Italy; Cite de l'Espace in Toulouse, France; and Ciencia Viva - Agencia Nacional para a Cultura Cientifica e Tecnologica in Lisbon, Portugal.
Via ESA & Space Travel
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