BUDDING biologists from Bedales prep school Dunhurst are getting involved in an extra-terrestrial seed project.

The Royal Horticultural Society’s (RHS) Campaign for School Gardening, in conjunction with the European Space Agency, has sent schools across the country seeds that have spent several months in microgravity on the International Space Station with British astronaut Tim Peake.

Having been sent back to Earth, the seeds are now being grown alongside seeds that haven’t been to space – the only catch is that the pupils won’t know which is which until the results have been analysed.

Erawin Olie, head of science at Dunhurst, said: “The Rocket Science project is an excellent opportunity for pupils to develop their interest in science and they are excited to take part in an experiment to see if zero gravity has affected the growth mechanisms in seeds from the ISS.

“Nobody knows what the outcome of the experiment will be as we don’t yet know which packs of seeds have been to space and which haven’t. In the short term, the seeds’ geotropism may have been disrupted, but in the long term this research could help us to grow crops in space, even to establish life on other planets.”

Dunhurst achieved an RHS level five gardening award in January and pupils are keen to observe the growing process and will see if there are any differences in how the seeds grow.