STEM

Plants4Space – Growing Food for the Future!

Students enjoyed an exciting hands-on incursion with the Plants4Space team from La Trobe University, exploring an important question: What will astronauts eat when they travel to Mars?

A mission to Mars could take 3–4 years, so finding ways to grow and prepare enjoyable food in space will be essential. Students discovered how plants and food science could help solve this challenge.

They became food scientists for the day, experimenting with spinach in lots of different ways! They blended it, heated it, filtered it and even transformed spinach juice into fun, green boba balls.

Along the way, students explored how scientists can change the taste, texture and appearance of food to make it more appealing. They discovered that plants could play an important role in keeping future astronauts healthy and happy on their journey to Mars.

Who knew spinach could be so much fun!