A SpaceX rocket carrying an East Texas high school’s science project is heading to the International Space Station.
An experiment created by Bullard High School students was launched Tuesday aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
6,400 pounds of science experiments, supplies, and equipment were launched aboard the SpaceX CRS-12, a commercial cargo resupply mission contacted by NASA.
The Dragon spacecraft should reach the orbiting outpost Wednesday.
Bullard High School students Emma Rhyne, Valerie Vierkant, Emmalie Ellis, and Raelee Walker designed the project, which will study the effects of Potato Blight in microgravity. Astronauts will conduct the experiment before it is returned to the students for harvesting and analysis.
“Considering the potential need for future crops in space, it is important to expand our knowledge on microgravity farming,” a news release stated. “We believe this experiment’s results will show the blight-resistant potato is more susceptible to Phytophthora infestans in microgravity as compared to normal gravity conditions.”
20 schools were selected to participate in the Student Spaceflight Experiment Program (SSEP), a program of the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education, which works with NASA to utilize the International Space Station as a National Laboratory.
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