Mississippi Mills classes vie for spot in spaceflight science mission

Students from three Upper Canada District School Board (UCDSB) schools are getting the chance to potentially see their science ideas tested in orbit.

Grade 5 and 6 classes in the Mississippi Mills area are taking part in the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP) Mission 21 to the International Space Station. The program invites students to design a microgravity experiment and submit a proposal. The winning project will be launched to the ISS, where astronauts will carry it out.

When the experiment returns to Earth, students will compare the results to the same test conducted under normal gravity. Local schools involved include Naismith Memorial Public School, Pakenham Public School and R. Tait McKenzie Public School. Only two Canadian communities are submitting Mission 21 proposals this year, with the other based in Edmonton.

Students at R. Tait planted and studied different seeds to measure growth in various conditions. Pakenham students explored how candy dissolves and how sugar crystals form in space.

On Nov. 10, a panel of local judges with science backgrounds reviewed 43 proposals from the three schools and chose three finalists. A second round of judging in December will determine which experiment will head to the ISS.

The SSEP is run by the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education in the U.S. and the Arthur C. Clarke Institute for Space Education, with support from Rhodium Scientific. It is the first pre-college STEM initiative to operate as a national program while also being part of an on-orbit commercial space venture.

Taken from a media release from the Upper Canada District School Board