10 July 2025
Students from Albany Senior High School visited the Western Australian Space Science Education Centre (WASSEC) last month to learn about the viability of plants in space.
In a dynamic lab environment, Year 10 students delved into the complex world of plant biology by examining root structures and flower characteristics.
Albany Senior High School investigated how plants respond to microgravity, light and water.
Using microscopes, students investigated how plants respond to microgravity, light and water – key factors influencing growth in space environments.
Albany Senior High School teacher, Nina Goodwin, observed students while they worked in teams to conduct experiments.
“Students worked in teams to investigate which plants could provide nutrition for future space explorers and conducted experiments to see how different species could grow in space-like conditions,” Mrs Goodwin said.
“The program also got students thinking about current challenges around global food security here on Earth.
“Students also had the chance to get up close with some of WASSEC’s resident stick insects, who’ve made the laboratory their home, feeding on the eucalypt plants!
“It was a great hands-on learning experience that connected science, sustainability, and space exploration.”
Plants in Space is designed to meet the curriculum through differentiated programs for students in Years 5-12.
Plants in Space is one of three programs that are available to Western Australian students at the WASSEC, located at Joseph Banks College in Banksia Grove, in 2025. The other programs are Mission to Mars and Cyber Security.
For more information about the programs visit Plants in Space.