Page 210 - International Space Station Benefits for Humanity, 3rd edition.

glory can be used to identify the mutants from
their phenotypes in the M2 generation. More than
18,000 students and teachers from kindergarten to
high school participated in the JAXA Seeds in Space
scientific education program from 2010 to 2017.
By June 2018, two distinct types of mutant plants
had been isolated. One of the plants featured a white
flower (a pigment-deficient one). Working together,
JAXA’s investigators conducted DNA sequencing of
the plant genes to try to determine the reasons for the
mutation. Upon completion of their study, investigators
concluded that the mutant with a white flower was
probably not caused by space radiation. However,
there is no doubt that all participants—every student
and teacher—were thrilled in the experiment to touch
something having returned from the spaceflight, and
to be the ones to isolate the mutants.

Students Photograph Earth from Space
Sally Ride Earth Knowledge Acquired by Middle School
Students (EarthKAM) is a NASA educational outreach
program that enables students, teachers and the
public to become researchers, with a focus on learning
about Earth from the unique perspective of space.
During four missions per year, middle-school students
around the world could request images of specific
locations on Earth. Accompanying learning guides One of the photos taken of The Bahamas during
and activities provided resources to engage students the 2013 spring mission.
in Earth and space science, geography, social studies, Image credit: Sally Ride EarthKAM
mathematics, communications and art.
In February 2018, the space station crew shut down
and stowed EarthKAM; however, the entire collection
of Sally Ride EarthKAM images remains available in a
searchable image archive. In all, a total of 273 schools
representing 21,417 students and 35 countries

Since its first space station
expedition in March 2001,
Sally Ride EarthKAM has
touched the lives of nearly
300,000 student participants
and an unknown number of Two students from Good Shepherd School
in Alberta, Canada, participate in Sally Ride
online followers. EarthKAM.
Image credit: NASA

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