3 min read
10 Years of Students Helping NASA Grow Space Food with Growing Beyond Earth
Nearly 1,250 middle and high school students from 71 schools around the world joined Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden for the Growing Beyond Earth (GBE) Student Launch Chat with the Scientists, marking an inspiring milestone in the program’s 10th anniversary year.
The live session, held in collaboration with NASA, connected classrooms directly with Dr. Gioia Massa and Trent M. Smith, senior leaders of NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Space Crop Production team. Students heard firsthand how their classroom experiments are helping NASA identify and grow the best crops for future astronauts on long-duration missions to the Moon and Mars.
“Our students are contributing to real NASA science,” said one participating teacher. “It’s incredibly motivating for them to know their data could influence what astronauts eat in space someday.”
Connecting Classrooms with NASA Science
Growing Beyond Earth, led by Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden in Miami, Florida, brings authentic NASA research into classrooms in a way that few science programs can. For more than a decade, the 83-acre botanic garden – renowned for its conservation, education, and research programs – has worked hand-in-hand with NASA to advance understanding of food production in space.
Students use specially designed plant growth chambers to test how different crops perform under conditions that mimic spacecraft environments. The data they collect are shared with NASA scientists, who use the findings to refine ongoing space crop production research.
Since the program’s inception, more than 120,000 students across 800+ classrooms have tested over 250 plant cultivars, with five student-tested crops already grown aboard the International Space Station.
Cultivating the Future STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematics) Workforce
The Growing Beyond Earth project exemplifies the mission of NASA’s Science Activation (SciAct) program, which connects NASA Science with people of all ages and backgrounds in ways that activate minds and promote a deeper understanding of our world and beyond, with the ultimate Vision: To increase learners’ active participation in the advancement of human knowledge. By engaging students as active participants in cutting-edge research, projects like GBE not only advance NASA’s goals but also cultivate curiosity, creativity, and confidence in the next generation of scientists and explorers. This year’s GBE Student Launch Chat celebrated that impact, showing how student research from classrooms around the globe contributes to the future of space exploration.
“When students see themselves as part of NASA’s mission, they realize science isn’t something distant, it’s something they can do,” said Dr. Massa. Teacher Espy Rodriguez from Hialeah Senior High School said, “It made their [her students] projects matter. I think it gave the kids a real sense of community. We are far, but we are one.” By growing plants, analyzing data, and sharing results with NASA, these students are helping humanity prepare for life beyond Earth, proving that the seeds of tomorrow’s discoveries are being planted in today’s classrooms.
GBE is supported by NASA under cooperative agreement award number 80NCCS2M0125 and is part of NASA’s Science Activation Portfolio. Learn more about how Science Activation connects NASA science experts, real content, and experiences with community leaders to do science in ways that activate minds and promote deeper understanding of our world and beyond: https://science.nasa.gov/learn/about-science-activation/.
Share
Details
Related Terms
Explore More
📚 NCsolve - Your Global Education Partner 🌍
Empowering Students with AI-Driven Learning Solutions
Welcome to NCsolve — your trusted educational platform designed to support students worldwide. Whether you're preparing for Class 10, Class 11, or Class 12, NCsolve offers a wide range of learning resources powered by AI Education.
Our platform is committed to providing detailed solutions, effective study techniques, and reliable content to help you achieve academic success. With our AI-driven tools, you can now access personalized study guides, practice tests, and interactive learning experiences from anywhere in the world.
🔎 Why Choose NCsolve?
At NCsolve, we believe in smart learning. Our platform offers:
- ✅ AI-powered solutions for faster and accurate learning.
- ✅ Step-by-step NCERT Solutions for all subjects.
- ✅ Access to Sample Papers and Previous Year Questions.
- ✅ Detailed explanations to strengthen your concepts.
- ✅ Regular updates on exams, syllabus changes, and study tips.
- ✅ Support for students worldwide with multi-language content.
🌐 Explore Our Websites:
🔹 ncsolve.blogspot.com
🔹 ncsolve-global.blogspot.com
🔹 edu-ai.blogspot.com
📲 Connect With Us:
👍 Facebook: NCsolve
📧 Email: ncsolve@yopmail.com
😇 WHAT'S YOUR DOUBT DEAR ☕️
🌎 YOU'RE BEST 🏆