SCIENTIFIC pupils at Arnold Lodge are preparing for a voyage of discovery by growing seeds that have been into space.
In September, 2kg of rocket seeds were flown to the International Space Station (ISS) on Soyuz 44S where they spent several months in microgravity before returning to Earth in March.
The seeds were sent as part of Rocket Science, an educational project launched by the RHS Campaign for School Gardening and the UK Space Agency, and Arnold Lodge is among schools across the country to receive a packet of 100 space seeds.
Pupils will grow them alongside seeds that have not been to space and measure the differences over seven weeks. The pupils will not know which seed packet contains which seeds until all results have been collected by the RHS Campaign for School Gardening and analysed by professional biostatisticians.
The out-of-this-world science experiment will enable the pupils to think about how human life could be preserved on another planet in the future, what astronauts need to survive long-term missions in space and the difficulties surrounding growing fresh food in challenging climates.
