Physics of Plants in Lunar, Martian, and Micro-gravity

Experiment Successfully Flown! Click for Video

Experiment by Students & Teachers from St. Elmo Center for the Gifted, Richards M.S., and Columbus High School

Sponsors:

Columbus NASA Connections

Georgia Space Grant Consortium

THE EXPERIMENT

Growing plants on the Moon and Mars will be critical to the long-term survival of human explorers as well as for long-term space travel. Understanding differences in how plants work in the gravity of these environments is an important investigation to anyone seriously trying to leave the Earth for long periods of time. This open-ended investigation addresses a series of small-scope research questions regarding cellular respiration, water and nutrient transportation and the effects of thermal radiation on plant growth in microgravity. To address the research questions derived by students at three different schools (grades K-12), a suite of sensors will be employed. A 42 channel 16-bit data logger will collect up to 2GB data during ground trials and in flight. The analog sensors include a CO2 sensor, an O2 sensor, temperature sensors, light sensors, a leaf wetness sensor, and relative humidity sensors. Sensors that will collect data on the environment include a 3-axis magnetometer, 3-axis accelerometer, and a 3-axis gyroscope that are all time stamped with the other data. Students will complete exercises to analyze data graphically and look for linear and nonlinear trends. Though the reduced gravity flight only affords multiple short durations of microgravity; if we can show measurable changes with a suite of sensors in a 1g environment, we can begin to model the difference in behavior in these various gravity environments using physics heat flow models or numerical models. These will then be offered as the basis for new theories and investigations. Ultimately, continued experiments may be designed to further understand the physics of plants in microgravity, specifically on Mars and the Moon

If you are going back to the Moon to stay for long durations, and then go onward to Mars, you will need to take your own food. How is the "Physics of Plants" affected by the conditions of Lunar, Mars, and Microgravity?

Procedure VIDEO

THE PEOPLE

This experiment is being completed as a joint effort by teachers from St. Elmo , Richards Middle School ,and Columbus High School . The real primary investiagtors are actually students at these schools. Flyers and operators of the experiment include:

Scott Chandler and Carol Mashburn, St Elmo Center for the Gifted
Troy McGarr, Richards Middle School
Luther Richardson, Columbus High School

Kristen Painting, Johnson Space Center

OUTREACH PLAN:

Plant Physics Activity Development aimed at 4th - 12th grade students

NASA Community Night

Taking teachers to Kennedy Space Center for Training related to activity development (March 21)

December Structure Work