1. Hydroponics Germination in Microgravity Co-Principal Investigators: Ava Arabshahi, Anika Thomas, Claire O’Connor Teacher Facilitator: Danalynn Coulon, Open Window School School: Open Window School Community: Bellevue, WA

2. Science Addressed by Experiment The science we are addressing is if hydroponics germination will work in microgravity If hydroponics germination in microgravity was successful, then astronauts would be able to grow fresh food in space. If astronauts can harvest food in space, then they won’t have to bring as much freeze dried food into space. Using water to grow food in space is better than using soil, because a cubic foot of water weighs less than a cubic foot of soil.

3. Essential Question Will hydroponics plant germination work in microgravity because of the differences in pressure and gravity levels, compared to earth? Hydroponics is growing plants in water, using no soil. Sometimes fertilizers are added to boost the nutrients of the plant

4. Experiment Design We separated the tube into three sections In Volume 1, we had one rockwool cube pre-loaded with 3 medallion, and 5 alfalfa seeds In Volume 2, we had a mixture of the following: 3ml of distilled water, and 1ml of FloraGro hydroponics fertilizer In Volume 3, we had 2ml of FloraGro hydroponics fertilizer, and 2ml of distilled water For our analysis, we tested the pH of the water, and observed and compared our seed germination, plant size, plant strength, moisture level, and usage of nutrients.

5. Ground Truth Results When we ended our experiment (which lasted two weeks) we completed our analysis. Our pH level was around 398 which was mildly toxic. Four of our plants germinated (3 were alfalfa and 1 was medallion) The strength of our plants that germinated were not very strong because they had just started to sprout when we concluded the experiment.

6. Hypothesis If our experiment had gone to space, then we think that it would have started to sprout because on Earth for our ground truth experiment, it sprouted. Because of the fertilizer, we believe that our plant would have had an extra boost in microgravity, in case the conditions were difficult for hydroponics germination.

7. Acknowledgements Thanks to SSEP Thanks to the Step One Review Board: Dr. Phyllis Harvey-Buschel, Wing L. Mui, Dr. Cheryl Lydon, Dr. David Horn, Dr. Brett Adams, Dr. Fay Shaw, Dr. Adrian KC Lee, and Sally Goetz Shuler Thanks to Open Window School Thanks to all the amazing teachers at Open Window School Thanks to SSEP National Partner, CASIS