Our sixth-grade students are exploring living and working in space on board the International Space Station (ISS).

The ISS is its own little planet -- a self-contained ecosystem for its astronauts -- so what does it take for humans to be able to live for months at a time in this environment? Human needs for water, air and food must be met in innovative ways. Knowing that the preparation, delivery and consumption of packaged food in space is challenging, students reasoned that having the ability to grow plants on the ISS would provide fresh food for the crew. 

They learned that the space station has its own growing system called ISS VEGGIE which utilizes plant ‘pillows’ and non-traditional greenhouses. So, sixth grade envisioned its own MAMS Veg-Tree! Students germinated five different types of seeds (wheat, alfalfa, oat, corn and soybean) on cotton balls (aka ‘plant pillows’) in transparent gloves (aka ‘greenhouses’) hung on the classroom holiday tree.

The sixth graders observed, measured, and journaled about the seeds’ germination and plant growth for one week - determining that the corn and wheat resulted in the highest rate of germination and the best growth in this non-traditional growing environment. Some of the students took their seedlings home filled with high hopes for a bountiful crop in the coming weeks!

We wonder how our ‘farms in gloves’ might help NASA scientists learn more about growing plants in space?