Seeds in Space

Join NASA's Engineering Design Challenge to design, analyze, build, and assess plant growth chambers as part of a standards-based, grade-banded activity for elementary, middle, and high school students that is related to the STS-118 Space Shuttle mission.

Growth chambers—much like the space plant chambers students will design and build—are part of the education payload on STS-118. The first Educator Astronaut, Barbara Morgan, and crewmates will take up two growth chambers along with 10 million basil seeds. These seeds will be exposed to microgravity and brought back to Earth.

After your students build their own growth chambers, you will receive actual space seeds that you can use along with other Earth seeds to test your design.

Space seeds are available on a limited basis to educators who register and complete the challenge with their classes. Go to NASA for information and to register.