One giant leap for students … Mission Discovery winners

Five pupils from Kent have achieved something truly ‘out of this world’ after their experiment was picked to be carried out on the International Space Station.

Mission Discovery, a programme run by ISSET, the International Space School Educational Trust, gives senior school students the opportunity to spend time working with NASA astronauts and renowned scientists, creating ideas for experiments that could be carried out in space.

Students from various schools took part in the event, which was held in Tonbridge School’s newly opened Barton Science Centre between Monday 18 and Friday 22 March. Tonbridge is the first UK school to host Mission Discovery.

The grand final on 22 March saw six shortlisted teams making presentations to a panel of judges, after which ‘The Argonauts’ team was named as the winner. It consisted of five pupils from the Lower Sixth: Thomas Stack (FH4), Godwyn Lai (MH4) and Edward Barry (Sc4), all from Tonbridge School, and Sarah Prescott and Abigail Colley, both from Tunbridge Wells Girls’ Grammar School.

The students designed an experiment to discover whether yeast is able to undergo sexual reproduction in the microgravity environment of the International Space Station.

Their theory is that sexual reproduction between two yeast colonies will result in a new colony able to survive in an environment deficient of both nutrients.

This experiment will now be built by Dr Julie Keeble, ISSET’s Chief Scientist and a Lecturer of Pharmacology at King’s College London, alongside her colleagues at King’s and NASA, after which it will be launched to the International Space Station and carried out by the astronauts on board.

Chris Barber, Founder of ISSET, said: “We have carried out Mission Discovery and other educational programmes all over the world, and I am delighted to say that the week at Tonbridge School was as enjoyable and successful as any. The students worked very hard and were highly creative, and the school staff were highly professional, helpful and diligent.

“The judges had a hard time selecting from a great set of presentations. The winner was chosen because it described a brilliantly simple way to carry out a worthwhile experiment that has many potential benefits and applications.”

The International Space Station is described by NASA as “the most famous laboratory on Earth … or off it”, and there was a fierce if friendly competition among students for their design to be chosen.

Schools taking part, in addition to Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells Girls’ Grammar School, included The Marsh Academy, The Judd School, The Skinners’ School, Skinners’ Academy and Weald of Kent Grammar School.

Helping to run Mission Discovery at Tonbridge were NASA astronauts Dr Michael Foale CBE and Dr Steve Swanson. Dr Foale, the first British-born NASA astronaut, is an astrophysicist and a former International Space Station (ISS) commander who has been into space on six missions. Dr Swanson, also a former ISS commander as well as an engineer, has logged more than 640 hours in space and completed four spacewalks.

As well as discussing ideas with the students, the astronauts gave a series of talks throughout the week in which they shared their experiences of travelling into space and living and working aboard the International Space Station.

James Priory, Headmaster of Tonbridge School, said it had been “an extraordinary privilege” for all at the school to work with the astronauts. “Hosting Mission Discovery means that we have had an ‘intellectual laboratory’ here at Tonbridge, and I’ve been incredibly impressed with the ideas, energy and innovation on display. It’s been a fantastic week and has, I hope, been both fun and inspiring for everyone who took part. 

“Ultimately, what made it so special was the fact that it put the learning and experience of young people centre stage.” 

Mission Discovery also set students personal objectives such as working successfully in teams, delivering persuasive presentations and speaking confidently in public.
    
Pictured top right: The winning students.

Pictured below, from top:
The winning team with, from left, James Priory, Dr Michael Foale, Dr Julie Keeble, Dr Steve Swanson and Chris Barber; 
‘The Argonauts’ making their presentation to judges;
Astronauts Dr Steve Swanson and Dr Michael Foale getting ready to announce the results;
Dr Julie Keeble.