Major Tim sends seeds to schools for ground control

PUPILS from North Solihull schools are being encouraged to take part in a science project that is truly out of this world.
Students will have the chance to grow rocket seeds that have orbited Earth aboard the International Space Station.
The seeds were flown the 400km to the station last autumn and will have spent six months in micro-gravity by the time they are returned to terra firma later this month.
Participating schools will be sent a packet of the precious cargo for the children to grow.
The experiment will also require the pupils to nurture a second batch of seeds which haven’t been to space, to see if there is any noticeable difference in the two sets of herbs that emerge from the soil.
The “Rocket Science” project has been devised by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) and the UK Space Agency and the results from schools across the country will be analysed by a team of scientists.
The project is one of several educational programmes that have been put together to celebrate the latest mission to the ISS, the first to involve a British astronaut – Major Tim Peake.
It is hoped that the initiative will encourage young people to consider careers in science, technology, engineering and maths.
Find out more here.