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Grass in Space

Follow along with an easy at-home experiment, and see the differences between Earth and space!
About Grass in Space

Getting Started

Here’s an easy experiment you can do to see the differences in how plants grow on Earth compared to how they grow in microgravity on the International Space Station. In this experiment, you will make your own “Alien Head” and watch it grow. Then, you can compare its growth to that of grass on the International Space Station.

Check out the photos below to see how grass has grown in the International Space Station and compare it with the grass that has grown in your Alien Head. What are the differences? Why do you think that grass grows differently on Earth than it does in the International Space Station?

Alien Heads at the Boy Scout Jamboree 2017

Use these as your inspiration, or let your imagination run wild!
Alien Head

Materials

  • The foot part of a pair of nylons
  • Dirt or cedar shavings
  • Grass seed
  • Decorations — googly eyes, pipe cleaners, etc – Go wild! 
  • Spray bottle with water for watering

Key Concepts

  • Gravitropism
  • Phototropism

Instructions

  • Insert dirt or cedar shavings into the nylon and plant the seed

  • Tie the nylon shut

  • Water your Alien Head with the spray bottle

  • Water the Alien Head 1-2 times daily and watch the grass grow!

  • See the difference in growth between your Alien Head on Earth with the grass grown in microgravity below

Tim Peake, the British astronaut from the European Space Agency who conducted the grass experiment in the International Space Station
Week 1: The seed is planted and ready to grow!
Week 1: The grass seed is beginning to sprout with the first strands measuring between 1-2 centimeters.
Week 2: This grass seed was grown in a Petri dish, so you can see the entire grass plant. The strands of grass here are about 3-4 centimeters.
Week 2: Look at how densely the grass has grown in the petri dish. How does it compare to yours?
Week 3: If you look closely on the front side of the grass, you can see that the grass has grown to approximately 5 centimeters.
Week 3: Here’s another angle of the grass at about 5 cm.
Week 3: Check out the strand of grass that has grown several centimeters to about 10 centimeters!
Week 4: Look how much the grass has grown in four weeks on the International Space Station. The grass has continued to grow, and the longest is 10 centimeters.
Week 4: The shorter strands of grass have grown in and are around 3 cm.
Week 4: Look how much grass has grown in space in just four weeks.
Week 4: While the longest strands are 10 cm, look at how many shorter strands of grass have grown in. How many strands of grass have grown on your Alien Head? How long are the strands? How are they similar, and how are they different from the ones in microgravity?

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