STAR gazing youngsters from Bilton Grange Preparatory School in Rugby will be taking part in an out-of-this-world science experiment.
Pupils have already spent an evening making their own moon rock and took a trip to the National Space Museum as part of their space-themed learning – and have even pencilled in a video chat with Canadian astronaut Greg Chamitoff to learn about real space-walk experiences.
The kids are now taking part in a new experiment called Rocket Science, a project launched by the RHS Campaign for School Gardening and the UK Space Agency.
In September, two kilogrammes of rocket seeds were flown to the International Space Station on Soyuz 44S where they will spend several months in microgravity before returning to Earth in March 2016.
Bilton Grange will be one of 10,000 schools to receive a packet of 100 seeds from space, which they will grow alongside seeds that haven’t been to space and measure the differences over seven weeks.
The nationwide science experiment will enable the pupils to think about how human life could be preserved on other planets, what astronauts need to survive long-term missions and the difficulties surrounding growing fresh food in challenging climates.
Alex Osiatynski, Headmaster of Bilton Grange said: “This experiment is a fantastic addition to our space topic. Our pupils have already immersed themselves in the subject of space and are looking forward to video-chatting an astronaut and learning more about life on the International Space Station and the environment these seeds have been in.”
