Macon East lower school students have kicked off a new outdoor classroom science project called Tomatosphere. The Tomatosphere seeds planted as part of the Environmental Fair include “control” seeds that are natural, untreated earth bound seeds, as well as “space” seeds that spent four weeks on the International Space Station in 2017. These seeds were transported to space on the SpaceX CRS-11 Dragon! The H9748 seeds are a hybrid variety provided by the Kraft Heinz Company. Mrs. Susan York and Mrs. Sharon Harper, both former teachers at Macon East and instrumental in starting our outdoor science classroom, were on hand at the Fair to help plant the seeds. Each class planted seeds in peat pots and will chart the germination and growth as they provide the optimal temperature, soil and water conditions for their seeds. Results of the Tomatosphere project will be submitted to First The Seed Foundation in Alexandria, VA. The identity of the “space” seeds will be revealed at the end of the experiment, once the plants have germinated and results have been submitted. After just one week, the students are enjoying watching the progress of their tomatoes.
