The 24 Student Experiments That Launched on OA-9
After the fully-loaded Cygnus capsule was secured to the Antares rocket, engineers rotated the rocket to a vertical position for launch at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility.
Media Credit: Aubrey Gemignani / NASA
May 20, 2018 • By Julia Sable, ISS National Lab Education Project Manager
On May 21, 2018, an Antares rocket launched a Cygnus resupply vehicle into low Earth orbit(Abbreviation: LEO) The orbit around the Earth that extends up to an altitude of 2,000 km (1,200 miles) from Earth’s surface. The International Space Station’s orbit is in LEO, at an altitude of approximately 250 miles.. The Cygnus capsule carried about 7000 pounds (3000 kg) of supplies, equipment, and science experiments to the International Space Station. Twenty-four of those science experiments were designed by high school and college students!
Learn more about all the payloads that launched on the OA-9 mission from this video and CASIS’ press release, Orbital ATK’s Cygnus Capsule to Host Research Destined for the International Space Station.
Here is a list of the student experiments with links to more information.
High School
- The Effect of Hydropriming on the Growth of Basil – International Space School Educational Trust (ISSET) with Space Tango
- Immiscible Liquid Separation – ISSET with Space Tango
- The Movement of Polar Liquids Across Electric Fields – ISSET with Space Tango
- The Contractile Properties of Smooth Muscle in Microgravity, Part 2 – Craft Academy with Space Tango
- Biological Nitrogen Fixation via Rhizobium-Legume Symbiosis – Mesquite High School through Higher Orbits‘ Go For Launch! program with Space Tango
- Slime Mold (Physarum polycephalum) Growth in Patterned Structure under Microgravity – Valley Christian High School, Dublin, CA, through Quest Institute with Space Tango
- Observation of Slime Mold Growth Inside 3D Maze in Microgravity – Chandra Kumala School, North Sumatra, Indonesia, through Quest Institute with Space Tango
- Different Copper Crystal Morphologies in Microgravity versus in Gravity – Minnehaha Academy, Mendota Heights, MN, through Quest Institute with Space Tango
- Prevention of Biofilm Formation in Microgravity Using an Antimicrobial Copper Paint – Valley Christian High School, San Jose, CA, through Quest Institute with Space Tango
- Measuring Radiation with Respect to Solar Flares and the South Atlantic Anomaly / Light Propulsion in Microgravity / Ferrofluid Heat Dissipation – Valley Christian High School, San Jose, CA, through Quest Institute with Space Tango
- The Effects of Microgravity on the Magnetic Qualities of Magnetorheological Fluids – Carmel Christian, Matthews, NC, through Quest Institute with Space Tango
- Measuring the Rate of Lactococcus lactus Fermentation in Microgravity – Valley Christian High School, San Jose, CA, through Quest Institute with Space Tango
- The Effects of Microgravity on the Electrochemical Characteristics of a Microbial Fuel Cell – Valley Christian High School, San Jose, CA, through Quest Institute with Space Tango
- The Efficacy of Sharklet Material in Preventing the Growth of E. coli Bacteria in Microgravity – Valley Christian High School, San Jose, CA, through Quest Institute with Space Tango
- Characterizing Magnetorheological Fluid in Microgravity – Bhattacharya Space Enterprises and Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorne, Australia, through Quest Institute with Space Tango
- Investigating the Decomposition of Organic Material in Microgravity – Maranatha Christian Schools, San Diego, CA, through Quest Institute with Space Tango
- The Effect of Microgravity on the Crystallization and Properties of Copper and Bronze via Electroplating – Bhattacharya Space Enterprises and Singapore American School, Singapore, through Quest Institute with Space Tango
- The Effects of BAM-FX Nutrient Solution and Endophytes on Plant Growth in Microgravity – Valley Christian High School, San Jose, CA, through Quest Institute with Space Tango
Engineers load the last of the cargo into the Cygnus capsule.
Media Credit: Orbital ATK (now Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems)
College
- CubeRRT (CubeSatSmall satellites that use a standard size and form factor, traditionally measuring 10 cm x 10 cm x 10 cm in size that may be deployed from the space station to conduct research and technology development. to test technology for Earth-sensing microwave radio meters) – Ohio State University, through NASA ELaNa with NanoRacks
- EQUiSat (CubeSat to test open-source research and test viability of LiFePO 4 Batteries) – Brown University, through NASA ELaNa with NanoRacks
- HaloSat (CubeSat to detect X-rays from the hot halo of baryon gas surrounding the Milky Way Galaxy) – University of Iowa-Iowa City, through NASA ELaNa with NanoRacks
- MemSat (CubeSat to evaluate memristor memory devices) – Rowan University, through NASA ELaNa with NanoRacks
- RadSat-g (CubeSat to evaluate a new radiation-tolerant computer system) – Montana State University-Bozeman, through NASA ELaNa with NanoRacks
- TEMPEST-D,1 (CubeSat, Temporal Experiment for Storms and Tropical Systems Technology – Demonstration) – Colorado State University-Fort Collins, through NASA ELaNa with NanoRacks