School kids inspired by space salad mission to the moon

Pupils from years seven to 10 across the country are taking part in the ALEPH Project, a world-first mission aiming to establish a lunar garden by 2026.

Far from passive textbook learners, these young scientists are conducting experiments, engineering seed delivery systems and uploading their findings to a national database that will directly help scientists decide which seeds are best suited for space.

Research group Lunaria One Director Lauren Fell explains that the idea actually came from kids themselves.

"We had an opportunity to suggest a scientific payload to go to the moon and we thought we could probably come up with something ... but we might as well see what the next generation want to see on the moon," Ms Fell tells AAP. 

"They said, we want to see something grow and it kind of really resonated. It's a very barren sort of place.

"They're going to be the ones engineering the full versions of these in the future and really feeding astronauts on the moon and Mars, and this is happening in Australia so it's quite exciting."

This is more than a school science unit. It's a citizen science initiative, with students directly contributing to solving a major challenge: how to grow food sustainably off-Earth.

The Plants - Lunar Edition unit, developed by Aussie edtech company Stile Education in partnership with Lunaria One, allows students to experiment with seeds under simulated lunar conditions.

Clare Feeney, head of education at Stile, says, "It's fantastic ... we were able to get students involved at such a young age actually contributing to the mission."

"In the first lesson, students map the mission to the moon and look at the conditions the seeds will face. From that, they find a way to put them under similar conditions."

Extreme heat is simulated by putting the seeds in the oven, the G-Force of launch is simulated by shaking them, she says.

Then they track how well the seeds germinate and grow, sharing their conclusions with Lunaria One to contribute to their research.

Since its trial earlier this year, the program has seen more than 440 student experiments uploaded, with over 200 student teams providing usable data.

One group managed to grow a 20cm cucumber under simulated lunar conditions, a first for the student-led experiments.

Thirteen-year-old India Huefner from Adelaide's Concordia College took part in the program. 

"Though science hasn't been my favourite, I have always been fascinated by space and the Lunaria One mission opens a whole new world of opportunities to learn about it and actively take part," she tells AAP.

Ms Huefner's flight-simulated tomato seeds - exposed to high heat and then freezing temperatures to simulate what happens on take-off - grew taller after 14 days when compared to the control group but the same number germinated in both.

The project vividly brings science to life for students like India.

"I found it amazing that we're even trying to put plants on the moon when it was only 50 years ago we first landed there and now this project is exploring how we might feed an off-world colony," she says.

"Having the chance to speak to Lauren Fell really showed how this is relevant in the real world," she says.

Ms Fell explains that her own experience as a researcher during a simulated space mission on Earth highlighted the importance of fresh food for astronauts.

"I just wanted a salad so much. A lot of the food that you take up there, it's dehydrated, it's powdered and you just want something fresh and crisp and something that's just been grown," she says. 

"That really hit home how important missions like this are because it's the early steps towards growing food in space."

Growing plants in space isn't new - the International Space Station has long hosted experiments - but it presents unique challenges.

The moon rotates differently, with 14 Earth days of sunlight followed by 14 days of darkness. 

"As soon as you're in shade, it can plummet to less than minus 100 degrees,"  Ms Fell says.

"It's a very difficult thing to get something to survive that night time period ... so our mission is focused on the daytime when you've got power because of the solar energy."

Ms Feeney explains that students enter data into a specially built widget as they grow their seeds, producing real-time information.

"There's a whole citizen science component," she says. "The data is being pulled together for the Lunaria One team and they're actually using this to inform what they're doing."

Beyond science, students are encouraged to think about humanity's responsibility in space, she adds.

"A really cool part about the mission is that it's building that stewardship and students caring for the planet.

"There's that implicit learning about why we might need to go to the moon and how we can be better citizens of Earth."

The program also shifts students' perceptions of science and scientists.

"You can see it in their faces," Ms Feeney says.

"All of a sudden they see scientists are real people and think, 'maybe I could be a scientist because this is something I can see somebody like me doing'."

Designed for ease of teaching, the unit fits neatly into existing curricula.

"We've found lately there seems to be  quite intuitively a lot of doom and gloom in science about climate change," Ms Feeney says.

"This is  a hopeful, joyful way to teach science.

"We're explorers at the end of the day. Teaching science is all about building confidence and curiosity."

For India, the project inspires career aspirations.

"I really like the discovery element," she says.

"I would love to work in the space industry when I am older, either as an astronaut or to be able to go to the International Space Station or become a leader like Lauren."

Australian Associated Press