It also marks the second time Native American students have flown an experiment on the Shuttle. This Mars soil simulant is an exciting way for students from the Fort Hall Indian Reservation to keep getting excited about space, science and growth, both plant and student. Galindo and several students were in Florida for the three launch attempts earlier this month. They will not be able to travel back to Florida for the next launch attempt, but they do plan to watch the launch on a big screen TV at school while having a launch party and breakfast to celebrate. Scientists need to understand how plants grow in space, as astronauts on long missions will need to grow their own food.
Plants also help produce oxygen and remove carbon dioxide aboard a spacecraft.
Galindo's students, part of the Native American Science Association, have been invited to several universities and local elementary schools to talk to other students about their space experiments. Since its first flight in 1995, SEM has allowed tens of thousands of students in the United States and other countries to fly their experiments in space. In addition to studies of plant growth, they have been used in award-winning science fair projects that evaluated the optical effects of thin dust coatings on rocks. Students also can compare the simulants' properties with actual soils of the Moon and Mars. In the meantime, JSC Mars-1 is supporting a wide range of research, instrument design and engineering studies.