Plants in Space


Students can replicate Space Station experiment in the classroom

For up-to-minute information, data, video and imagery, please visit www.bioedonline.org.

Teachers and students can participate in a science investigation taking place in space and on Earth. The Plants in Space project, supported by NSBRI, examines plant root growth in microgravity. Teachers and students can grow ground-based control plants in the classroom, download hourly photographs from the International Space Station (ISS), and design experiments using the data from space.   
  • Download the free Plants in Space Teacher's Guide.
  • Read the Plants in Space news release.
  • Video of time-lapsed imagery from Trial 1 ISS and ground-control plantings. 

  • Video of time-lapsed imagery from Trial 3 ISS and ground-control plantings.


The Plants in Space project is a cooperative effort by NSBRI, BioServe Space Technologies at the University of Colorado, the Center for Educational Outreach at Baylor College of Medicine and NASA. Additional support comes from Houston Endowment Inc. and Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

Other free NSBRI educational materials are available in the navigation menu on the left-hand side of this page.