Team Kuhl - Teachers in Space

Current Sponsors of the Central Square Middle School CubeSat for the PerlanII Glider include (chronologically):

Our first sponsor:

SRC is a not-for-profit research and development company and SRCTec is its high-tech manufacturing and life cycle management subsidiary. Together, they are redefining possible(r) with unique, next-generation solutions of national significance in defense, environment and intelligence. http://www.srcinc.com/

Our second sponsor:

Scentroid is the word leader in air pollution and odour measurement
equipment and services. Based in Toronto, Canada. They export to over 45 countries around the world. www.scentroid.com

Our Third sponsor:

Jeff and Kyle did an amazing amount of work for us changing the logic we had written into code for the Arduino!

The Amish Group is a collection of local, honest-to-gooddness Amish people who have teamed up to bring you the largest selection of high quality buildings, including modular buildings. http://TheAmishGroup.com

James Kuhl

Central Square, NY

Abstract:
Our team would like to study terraforming Mars. Our first thought was to experiment with photosynthetic bacteria. We decided not to use bacteria because we were worried about contamination of the Perlan2 crew and the other experiments. We decided to use moss because it is safe, easy to get and easy to grow. We realize moss in the payload bay of Perlan2 might contaminate other experiments. To keep this from happening we will shelter our moss behind a filter partition to prevent contamination. We will grow some moss in our classroom while some of the same moss is sent to the Stratosphere aboard Perlan2. We would also like to collect a sample of the air from the Stratosphere at the highest point Perlan2 reaches. We would like to collect a sample of air on the chance of finding photosynthetic bacteria. The air sample would also allow us to measure how well the filter partition works. We feel this experiment is a good first step towards terraforming Mars. We hope scientists will use the results of our experiment when they are studying plants to use to terraform Mars.

Planted

Growing

Ready to transplant!

Dr. Robin Kimmerer, Distinguished Teaching Professor, Director, Center for Native Peoples and the Environment at SUNY ESF, and moss expert met with students at Central Square Middle School who are preparing an experiment that will expose moss to the near-space conditions of the Stratosphere. Dr. Kimmerer advised students to focus their experiment on a group of mosses called toxiphiles, lovers of toxic environments. This type of moss is very hardy and could have the best chance living in the harsh environment of the Stratosphere. She also encouraged students to send as many different samples as possible. Students are studying moss as an example of a plant that might one day be used to Terraform Mars, change Mars so that it is like Earth.