A handful of wattle seeds that have spent six months orbiting Earth on the International Space Station will soon be planted on Meriden’s grounds. This amazing outdoor venture is part of a nationwide experiment to investigate the impact of space travel on plants.
The “space” seeds will be planted alongside seeds that have remained on Earth. Meriden girls will monitor differences in germination and growth in the two groups of plants and upload their findings to a national database. The data collected will be shared with the international community to provide further information on the prospect of growing food and storing seeds in space.
The program, “What’ll Happen with the Wattle”, is being run by the One Giant Leap Australia Foundation, with support from the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and the Australian Space Agency. It will see students from over 270 schools take part, making it one of the largest space science education experiments ever completed in Australia.
Science teacher, Mrs Claire Marsh, said she is thrilled Meriden girls will have the opportunity to participate in this historic experiment.
“This practical project will hone students’ scientific research skills in a fun and engaging way,” she said.
“I am confident that participating in an experiment of this scale will strengthen the girls’ passion for STEM and perhaps even inspire a future career in space!”
