Table 1: AIR Experimental Course Map¶
| Week | Program Stage | Learning Objectives | Inquiry Topics | Experimental Activities |
| Pre-program | Stage I: Scientific Photography of Space Plants | - Understand why scientists photograph experiments in a clear, repeatable way. - Set up a camera, lighting, contrasting background, and a scale bar. | Image consistency Scale & calibration Computer vision Reproducible data | - Photograph a plant with a scale bar. - Compare a snapshot with a science photo. - Measure leaf area from your own image. |
| 1-2 | Research stage I: Growth of Microgreens in Terrestrial Environments | - Outline ideal growing conditions for microgreens. - Identification of growth patterns within growing crop populations. - Organization, collection, and analysis of quantitative and qualitative data points. | - Biotic and abiotic factors that affect microgreen development. - How can the manipulation of environmental factors affect microgreen biomass? - What limiting factors affect biomass production? | - Microgreen growth observation in soil. - Extensions can be carried out using varied media and lighting parameters. |
| 2-3 | Research stage II: Microgreen Development and Gravitropic Response | - Define what “tropisms” are. - Identify what forces affect plant tropisms. - Identify how tropisms affect microgreen development in a controlled environment. - Analyze root architectural growth patterns both quantitatively and qualitatively. | - How has terrestrial life adapted to life on Earth? - How do plants orient themselves to grow in the patterns observed on Earth? - How can tropisms be manipulated to adapt to new environmental conditions? | -Gravitropic root architectural response observations and analysis. |
| 3-4 | Research Stage III: Turning Microgreens into Stem Cell Cultures and Taking Cuttings or Making Plant Clones | - Define auxin. - Define the different cell types in the root. - Define a cell culture. - Clone a plant or grow a cell culture. | -How might gravity sensing be different in cell cultures? -How do plants sense gravity on Earth? | - Clone succulents. - Take a cutting from a plant, like basil, tomato, chili, or something else. - Try to make a cell culture. |
| 4-6 | Research Stage VI: Gravitropic Response of Microgreens Grown in Simulated Microgravity | - Explain how microgravity can be simulated for plants by changing gravitational orientation. - Identify morphological changes in plants grown in microgravity. - Analyze how root architecture development is affected by simulated microgravity. | - How would environmental factors associated with microgravity affect areas in plants with meristems? - How can light be utilized effectively to maximize crop yields and/or control developmental rates of microgreens grown in microgravity? | Microgreen growth experiment trials using CoSE Gravitational Chamber. |