Student Experiments Among the Payloads Launching to ISS
NASA Targeting Monday Night for Launch from Florida
NASA and SpaceX are targeting no earlier than 9:29 p.m. EST on Monday, Nov. 4, for the next launch to deliver scientific investigations, supplies, and equipment to the International Space Station. Filled with more than 6,000 pounds of supplies, the SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft, on the company’s Falcon 9 rocket, will launch from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
“Participating in the program gives us a feel of what being an actual scientist is like."
Victor Morris, Grantsburg, WI
This launch is the 31st SpaceX commercial resupply services mission to the orbital laboratory for the agency, and the 11th SpaceX launch under the Commercial Resupply Services-2 (CRS) contract. The first 20 launches were under the original resupply services contract.
Scientific investigations traveling in the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft include studies of solar wind, a radiation-tolerant moss, spacecraft materials, and cold welding in space.
The CODEX (COronal Diagnostic EXperiment) examines the solar wind, creating a globally comprehensive data to help scientists confirm theories for what heats the solar wind – which is a million degrees hotter than the Sun’s surface – and sends it streaming out at almost a million miles per hour.
The investigation uses a coronagraph, an instrument that blocks out direct sunlight to reveal details in the outer atmosphere or corona. The instrument takes multiple daily measurements that determine the temperature and speed of electrons in the solar wind, along with the density information gathered by traditional coronagraphs.
Nanolab Astrobeat investigates using cold welding to repair perforations in the outer shell or hull of a spacecraft from the inside. Less force is needed to fuse metallic materials in space than on Earth, and cold welding could be an effective way to repair spacecraft.
Some micrometeoroids and space debris traveling at high velocities could perforate the outer surfaces of spacecraft, possibly jeopardizing mission success or crew safety. The ability to repair impact damage from inside a spacecraft may be more efficient and safer for crew members. Results also could improve applications of cold welding on Earth as well.
The mission also includes 39 student-led projects from 38 communities as part of the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP). SSEP is an ISS National Laboratory educational partner program aiming to equip the next generation of scientists and engineers by integrating the scientific research process into the classroom.
“The whole idea of education is to prepare our students for the real world," said Jeff Goldstein, center director of the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education (NCESSE), which runs SSEP. Goldstein explained that for educators to be successful in fostering a robust future workforce in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), students need hands-on experience performing tasks from those careers. “A very effective way to do that is to bring professional experiences into the classroom and ask our students to be scientists and engineers right now.”
Participating communities—each with 100 or more students for elementary and secondary programs and at least 30 for college-level programs—engage in a formal microgravity science curriculum and then break into smaller teams to create research proposals. Student experiments are designed to be carried out using Mixstix, flexible tubes with three clamped compartments to keep substances separate until they are ready to be mixed in space. For this mission, SSEP received nearly 1,900 proposals, and a review board selected the top experiment from each community to launch into space.
Among the student-led projects on this mission are:
The Growth and Mutation of Staphylococcus (epidermidis) Biofilm in Microgravity
Grades 4, 5, 9, and 12, Zaharis Elementary School, Red Mountain Ranch Elementary School, and Red Mountain High School of the Mesa Public School District, Mesa, AZ
Students will study Staphylococcus epidermidis, a common type of infectious bacteria, in space. They will compare the growth of bacterial biofilms, clusters of bacteria that grow together on a surface, in microgravity and on Earth. Results could shed light on how to better protect astronauts from infectious bacteria in space.
Effects of Microgravity on Spinacia oleracea (spinach)
Grade 8, Mountain View Middle School of the Lamont School District, Lamont, CA
This experiment will compare the germination of Spinacia oleracea (spinach) seeds in microgravity and on Earth. The nutritional value of spinach could benefit astronauts during space missions, and this project aims to identify differences in germination and nutritional content in microgravity.
Effects of Microgravity on Liquid I.V. Hydration Multiplier
Grade 12, Pickerington High School North of the Pickerington Local School District, Pickerington, OH
This team will study how well Liquid I.V., a powdered drink mix containing sodium, potassium, glucose, and micronutrients, hydrates in space. The project will compare hydration levels in plant cells in microgravity and on Earth. Liquid I.V. could help keep astronauts better hydrated during spaceflight, where there is a limited amount of water.
Will Microgravity Have an Effect on the Growth and Development of Brine Shrimp?
Grade 9, iForward Public Online Charter School of the Grantsburg School District, Grantsburg, WI
The project will observe the growth and development of brine shrimp—a food source for several fish species and an environmental monitoring tool—in space. The team hypothesizes that brine shrimp, which cope well with changing environmental conditions, will grow bigger in microgravity.
Nematodes to the Rescue! Space Worms as an Integral Component of Space Agriculture
Grade 10, Hillcrest High School of the Canyons School District, Sandy, UT
Students will examine how well two types of nematodes infect an insect host in microgravity. Entomopathogenic nematodes are parasites that kill their insect hosts using symbiotic bacteria in their gut. These eco-friendly worms are used widely in agricultural pest control and may be a practical solution to control insect pests when growing crops in space.
Several participants have shared how SSEP led them to consider STEM careers, get into their college of choice, and even earn scholarships. Elizabeth Miller, a ninth grader in Mesa’s community, said the process has transformed her education. “It has greatly strengthened my research, writing, presentation, teamwork, and leadership skills,” said Miller.
“Participating in the program gives us a feel of what being an actual scientist is like. Sending brine shrimp to space makes having a career as a space engineer seem a lot closer and a lot more realistic,” said Grantsburg, Wisconsin, ninth grader Victor Morris.
“One of the common threads that we hear from teachers is that this was the most difficult and most rewarding STEM program they've ever done,” added Goldstein. “Through SSEP, we see that students change their view of what science and STEM actually are, and many students say, ‘Yes, I want to consider this as a career.’”