The Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) invites interested Filipino students from junior high schools in the National Capital Region (NCR) to #JoinTheMission of Herb in Space by showcasing their creative and science skills.   

Illustrate the journey of coriander seeds from Earth to space, and back, through a comic strip and get the chance to germinate seeds that have been in space. 

Through the Asian Herb in Space (AHiS), an activity of the Kibo-ABC under the Space Frontier Work Group of the Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum (APRSAF), seeds from various Asia-Pacific countries and regions were sent to the Kibo module of the International Space Station (ISS). These seeds were exposed to outer space conditions for seven (7) months then taken back to Earth. 

Growing plants in space is important for long-term space missions since these can provide food for astronauts and help improve their mental well-being. Several factors in the space environment, such as changes in gravity, radiation, reduced nutrient supply, and limited water recycling, influence the plant’s growth and development. The genetic makeup of the seed may be altered, which could lead to changes in the plants’ subcellular and phenotypic levels, as well as physiological adaptation to stress. 

Here’s how you can join: 

Mechanics 

• Each school is only allowed one (1) entry.
• Interested participants in the junior high school level from NCR may form only one (1) group composed of any number of students from grades 7-10 to participate in the comic strip contest and one (1) teacher representative.
• The comic must creatively depict the journey that the coriander seeds have taken from Earth to space, then back to Earth again. Learn more about the seeds from JAXA’s website.
• The comic may be drawn with or without text and dialogue. The comic must fit on a single A4 size paper.
• Digital or hand drawn comic entries are acceptable.
• Submit the comic entry (in jpg, jpeg, png or pdf) through this link: https://bit.ly/HerbInSpace
• PhilSA will be selecting ten (10) teams as winners who will get the chance to germinate the space seeds. Participating schools will be notified via email.

Deadline for submissions: 19 January 2024, 11:59 PM (PhST).
Announcement of winners: 02 February 2024 

Criteria

Responsibilities of the selected schools who will germinate the seeds from space: 

Representatives of the winning schools shall participate in the seed briefing and turnover ceremony, and seed germination activities.

The school or representatives shall cover the necessary expenses in the activity. These include, but are not limited to, experiment supplies and materials, and transportation expenses. Experimentation will take about 3 – 4 weeks to complete.

The school may include at least one (1) science teacher who will serve the following roles:

• To guide and facilitate the conduct of activity. 
• To enable students to understand the activity’s objectives and relevant scientific concepts.
• To foster healthy collaboration and communication among student participants.
• To ensure that participation in the activities adheres to the stipulated conditions. 

There will be no limit to the number of student participants, as long as they are capable of actively engaging and contributing to the activity. The students are expected to observe the following: 

• To conduct the experiment and gather data.
• To apply critical thinking skills and scientific methods.
• To present their conclusions in a clear and organized manner.
• To collaborate and share responsibilities with one another.  

Expected Output: 

After the space seed germination, the participating schools are expected to present their experiment results in the form of a digital poster.  

All participants are required to surrender any samples to PhilSA after the experiment. 

For questions and concerns about the contest, please contact ismdd@philsa.gov.ph