LAS VEGAS (AP) — Astronauts and three fifth-grade girls are teaming up to grow soybeans in space.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that astronauts traveling to the International Space Station in 2017 are planning to grow the soybeans in small tubes and send the results to the young scientists.
A national competition chose almost a dozen student projects for testing.
John C. Vanderburg Elementary School students Shani Abeyakoon, Kendall Allgower and Avery Sanford want to know whether protein-rich soybeans can grow in space to feed astronauts and future residents of Mars.
Clark County School District coordinator Cheryl Wagner said scientists, educators, businesses and nonprofits helped about 300 students compete from the Las Vegas area.
Wagner helped raise $23,500 for the experiment's launch.
The three fifth-graders plan to pursue their research in middle school.