Principal Investigator Josh Ebesugawa Waiakea Intermediate School Hilo Hawaii The Problem High cost involved in sending an astronaut into space In 2016 Russia will charge NASA 71000000 to transport one astronaut to the ISS ID: 296665
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Slide1
Does Microgravity Affect the Growth of a Glycine max Plant?
Principal Investigator: Josh
Ebesugawa
Waiakea
Intermediate School
Hilo, HawaiiSlide2
The Problem:
High cost involved in sending an astronaut into space
In 2016, Russia will charge NASA $71,000,000 to transport one astronaut to the ISS
Space food
Needs to
be
treated prior to being transported into space
Very little fresh food is taken into space; needs to be eaten within the first few days in order to prevent spoilage
High cost involved in preparing space food
.Slide3
The Research Reason:
Plants can grow in space, however we are not good at it yet. Plants face many challenges:
Exposing plants to sufficient light is difficult
Circulating the nutrients through the roots of the plant is challenging
More research is necessary to determine the most effective and efficient ways to germinate seeds and grow plants in space
Fresh food for astronauts
Fresh food available at all times during missions
Less food will need to be transported into space
More space on shuttle for other necessities
Shuttles could be designed smaller and to be more
efficientSlide4
Benefits of Glycine max (Soybeans):
Soybeans are the only plants that contain a complete protein
Soybeans
are a good source of
calcium
The astronauts need a calcium rich diet due to the lack of gravity. This causes the bones and muscles to become weak thus the need for calcium.
Soybeans are high in fiber and
protein
Soybeans contain many vitamins and minerals
Soybeans are not difficult to grow and they only take on average 3 months from planting to harvesting. The Envy variety only takes 75 days to bear fruitSlide5
The Experiment:
Materials for 1 tube (5 tubes total, 1 experiment, 4 control)
3
Glycine max seeds, approximately 1.5 mL each 3.10 mL of sterilized soil
1.03
mL of fertilizer (equal parts of peat moss, vermiculite, and perlite
Deionized water 1 tube 2 clamps Pipette
Scale Notebook Sharpie green and blue 2
zip-ties
Green
and blue tape Slide6
Conclusions:
There were no significant changes in any of the 15 Glycine max seeds
No seeds germinated
There may have been an insufficient amount of water
There may have been enough water for one or two seeds to germinate, but not for three seeds
There may not have been enough space in the tubes for the seeds to germinate
There may have been problems with the soil and/or fertilizer.
The proportion of soil to fertilizer may not have been conducive to seed germination.
Impact:
Researching
plant growth in microgravity is a worthwhile investment of our time and resources
The long term benefits of this research will have a positive and lasting effect on the advancements in space explorationSlide7
Acknowledgements:
Lead:
Waiakea
Intermediate School
Hawaii Public Schools, Hilo/
Waiakea
Complex
Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS)
National Center for Earth and Space Science EducationBig Island ToyotaCounty of Hawaii, Department of Research and Development
Hawaii Island Economic Development Board, Inc.
Thirty Meter Telescope
Ben Franklin Crafts/Hilo Ace Hardware
To all Partner Institutions, “Mahalo Nui Loa.”