Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP) Flight Experiment Proposal Guide

for SSEP Mission 14 to the International Space Station (ISS)

Revised: September 7, 2019

Section I. Proposal Cover Page

Proposal Title: Fermentation meets Microgravity; Beauty and the Yeast

Grade Level(s) of Submitting Student Team: Fourth Grade

Submitting School: Open Window School
Submitting School District: Open Window School Submitting Teacher Facilitator: Randy
Hollinger

Name: Mr. Randy Hollinger

Position: Fourth Grade science teacher
Address: 6128 168th Place SE
Daytime phone: 425 747 2911
Cell phone: 850 830 7950
Email: rhollinger@ows.org

Proposal Summary:
The investigation will examine how the yeast fermentation process is affected by
microgravity. This is important because the fermentation process can preserve food by turning
sugar into alcohol. This process can benefit astronauts on the International Space Station, or on
other planets in future generations.
The goal of this investigation is to do what we can to make sure that our experiment is
successful and can be used to further research in the area of yeast fermentation. It is unclear how
the yeast will ferment sugar in microgravity, and the investigation aims to examine this process.
The investigation then compares the results to the same process on Earth. The investigation looks
at the following questions during analysis: will the sugar taste sweeter? Will the yeast have an
added nutritional value? Could food be preserved longer if fermented in microgravity? In
conclusion, this experiment will have important results that will help find out if food can be
fermented in microgravity.
Section II. Student Team Members and Professional Advisors

Co-Principal Investigators (listed in alphabetical order)

Name: Mitchell Boitano

Grade level: 4

Name: Thomas Diamantopoulos

Grade level: 4

Name: Zach Gruben

Grade Level: 4

Professional Advisors (not required)

Name: Jeffery Callaway, Caitlan Clark, and their team

Organization: Colorado State’s Department of Fermentation
Contribution to Team: Email correspondence which provided important information about
fermentation.

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Section III. Experiment Materials and Handling Requirements

1. Fluids Mixing Enclosure (FME) Mini laboratory Proposed to be Used (check one):

 Type 1 FME Mini lab (1 experiment volume: no clamps used)

X Type 2 FME Mini lab (2 experiment volumes: one clamp used)

 Type 3 FME Mini lab (3 experiment volumes: two clamps used)

2. List of Proposed Experiment Samples (Fluids and Solids to be Used)

Baker’s yeast – 4.2 Grams

Cane sugar - 8.2 Grams
Room temperature tap water - 500mL
MRS broth – 10 mL

Volume 1
4.2 grams of baker’s yeast

Volume 2
4.2 grams of sugar in room temperature water

IMPORTANT: Are any of the proposed samples human in origin? (check one):
 Yes
X No
If “Yes”, see the Mission 14 to ISS: Mini-Laboratory Operation webpage for details on the
tests that your team must perform on the human samples before the experiment can be
selected for flight, and explain below the results or the current status of these test.

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3. Special Handling Requirements During Transportation

Table 1: Requesting Thermal Control for Your Experiment

Ambient
Refrigeration Conditions
Shipping from your Community to Nano Racks in X
PRE-
Houston
FLIGHT
At Nano Racks until Handover to NASA X
Handover to NASA Until Arrival at ISS X
FLIGHT
Onboard ISS X (required)
POST- From ISS until Arrival at Nano Racks X (required)
FLIGHT At Nano Racks through Return Shipping to Community X

4. Proposed Timeline of Crew Interactions – Your Proposed Crew Interaction Days and
Crew Interactions Aboard ISS

Table 2: Allowed Crew Interaction Days

1 on arrival at ISS (day payload is transferred from ferry vehicle to ISS) A=0
2 during first week (2 days after transfer from ferry vehicle to ISS) A+2
3 2 weeks prior to undock (14 days before undock) U-14
4 in week prior to undock (5 days before undock) U-5
5 in week prior to undock (2 days before undock) U-2

Table 5: Your Proposed Timeline of Crew Interactions

Allowed Crew
Requested Interaction
Interaction Day
A=0 Release clamp and vigorously shake for 5 seconds

A+2 Do nothing

U-14 Do nothing

U-5 Do nothing

U-2 Do nothing

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Section IV. The Question to be Addressed by the Experiment

Page Limit: 2 pages, including any figures and photos; the expectation is that no proposal
should be submitted with just a few sentences for this section.

• detailed description of the basic question: Our experiment looks at yeast fermentation as it
interacts with sugar and water. The yeast will not come into contact with the sugar and water
until arrival at the ISS. At the end, there will be a single liquid: baker’s yeast and cane sugar
mixed with room temperature water.

• discussion of current scientific understanding that is relevant to the question: Current

information on this topic is that sugar content might increase due to evaporation of the room
temperature water. Through our experiment in class, we discovered that when you add the
yeast to the water first, the Brix score decreases.

• description of the insight that will be gained from the experiment: The experiment’s results
will give insight into fermentation and preservation in a microgravity environment.

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Section V. Experiment Design

• The experimental rationale: Our experiment addresses a very important question for space
exploration: Can food be fermented in microgravity? This is very important because
fermentation can preserve food. Fermentation lowers the brix score of the food by turning sugars
into acids. By sending this experiment to the ISS, we can see whether the brix score of the yeast-
sugar-water mix on ISS is less or the same as the yeast-sugar-water mix on Earth. The resulting
fermentation can preserve food and doing so can save energy by sending food for the future
along with food for the present in fewer trips.

• The experimental materials: For our experiment, we are using the materials of baker’s yeast
(Saccharomyces cerevisiae), cane sugar, water, and MRS broth. We are using baker’s yeast
because it is an organism that ferments food and is available in great supply. Sugar is the thing
that yeast ferments and using the raw material that gets fermented is better than using fruit with
sugar because it costs less and is easier to handle. Water is a good liquid for the sugar to settle in
because it doesn't cost much and is available in great supply. MRS broth is a common habitat to
grow yeast on before introducing the yeast to the sugar. We will also use a refractometer to
measure the changes in sugar content of both samples.

• the experimental procedure: When our experiment enters orbit, the first thing that should be
done is to release the clips separating volume 1 (yeast and MRS broth) from volume 2 (sugar
and water). Immediately after doing that, vigorously shake the FME lab for five seconds.
Then, our experiment will sit still so that the yeast will settle in the sugar-water mix.

• ground elements: The ground elements we need for the experiment is a refractometer, which
will be used to measure the brix score of the yeast-sugar-water mix after the experiment on the
ISS, and a yeast-sugar-water mix to be fermented on Earth when the experiment is in space.

• experimental analysis: Once both samples are back to the science lab, we will measure the
brix score of the yeast-sugar-water mix from the ISS with a refractometer available in our
science lab. Next we will measure the brix score of the yeast-sugar-water mix on Earth. We
will then look for differences in the Brix score to see if microgravity may have had an effect.

Section VI. List of Reference Publications

Note: there are multiple citation styles (APA, AMA, etc.). The community is free to use
whatever citation style they have adopted for students. However, if using a web reference,
please provide the complete URL in the List of References.
http://encyclopedia.kids.net.au/page/fe/Fermentation
https://www.wikihow.com › Ferment-Fruit
https://kids.kiddle.co/Fermentation
n https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/fermentatio
https://www.fermentools.com/blog/teaching-children-fermentation/

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Section VII. REQUIRED Letter of Certification by the Teacher Facilitator (template
below)

November 1 2019

I certify that the student team designed the experiment described herein and authored this
proposal, and not a teacher, parent, or other adult. I recognize that the purpose of this letter is to
ensure that there was no adult serving to lead experiment definition and design, or write the
proposal, and thereby provide content and/or professional expertise beyond that expected of a
student-designed and student-proposed experiment.

I also understand that NCESSE recognizes that facilitation of thinking across the student team
through advice and counsel by the team’s Teacher Facilitator, other teachers, and local area and
national researchers, is not only to be encouraged but is absolutely vital if students are to receive
the necessary guidance on the process of scientific inquiry, experimental design, how to do
background research in relevant science disciplines, and on writing the proposal. I also
understand that it is appropriate for the Teacher Facilitator and other teachers to provide editorial
comment to the student team on their proposal drafts before proposal submission.

I also certify that the samples list and the special handling requests listed in this proposal are
accurate and conform to the requirements for SSEP Mission 13 to ISS. I confirm that the team,
after reviewing their procedure and budget for obtaining the samples for the experiment, is
certain that they will be able to obtain the necessary samples for their experiment in time to meet
the deadline for shipping the flight-ready FME to NanoRacks. If using human samples, the team
is aware that these samples must be tested for prohibited viruses before the experiment can be
selected for flight.

Finally, I certify that the student team will have access to the proper facilities and equipment to
prepare the FME mini laboratory for flight and to analyze the samples after the flight.

Randy Hollinger
Teacher Facilitator