Nicholas Donaldson
Science classes at St. Michael’s School here have been growing tomatoes.
One might hesitate to call them “local food,” however, because of the distance those seeds have travelled.
Half the seeds have spent time aboard the International Space Station and now are grown to test the effects of zero gravity on plant germination.
Nathan Cousineau, the science teacher at St. Michael’s, is running the experiment with some Grades 1-3 classes in the school.
The experiment is facilitated by Tomatosphere, a collaboration between the Canadian Space Agency, the University of Guelph, and the Heinz Food Corp., allowing K-12 students to perform experiments using seeds that have been to space.
The program began in 2001 and has distributed seeds to schools across Canada and the U.S. for experiments.
“They are testing vegetable growing in space to see the effects,” Cousineau explained.
The school received two packages of seeds, labelled ‘G’ and ‘H,’ but were not told which ones had been in space.
The students planted the seeds March 29 and were able to guess which ones they thought would do better.
Since then, they’ve been in charge of growing and observing the seeds, which sit under a light and timer system in the school’s gym.
The seeds are grown side by side in labelled cups to see if any difference can be found between the two groups.
The school currently has about 80 tomato sprouts that began appearing over the past few weeks.
Cousineau noted the students check on their plants every other day and count the sprouts to observe their growth.
After collecting the data and making a graph, they determined more seeds germinated in the ‘H’ group.
They sent the results back to the Tomatosphere program, and learned it was the ‘H’ group of seeds that had visited space.
When the program released the statistics of the project, St. Michael’s also learned they had above-average results.
Cousineau attributed this to the light and timer system, as well as the care and attention the students have given the plants.
During the project, the students learned how to conduct an experiment and were taught about the necessities of growing a plant.
Cousineau said the ones in his classes have learned about soil quality, plant nutrition, the role of the sun, and the importance of water.
He also noted the students now are aware of the time and effort it takes to produce their food–something they might not have realized before.
The Tomatosphere website shows that more than one million seeds go into space in large bags and are kept on the International Space Station for a few weeks to experience the effects of zero gravity.
Then they are distributed across the country for experimentation, which can differ based on grade level.
The website explained the motivation behind the experiment is the need for better life support systems as humans plan to travel deeper into space.
They help understand some of the issues related to long-term space exploration and plant-based life systems.
“Tomatoes were chosen for their water content and for purifying the air,” noted Cousineau.
In the future, tomatoes may be used to feed astronauts, as well as to create a breathable environment for space travellers.
For now, however, Cousineau said the plants will remain under the light and timer system until the weather gets warmer, when some students will be able to take the plants home to continue growing on their own.
Other students will receive green bean plants, donated by the Fort Frances Public Library’s seed bank, that the school also started growing recently.
