Tomatosphere

Principal investigation

The Tomatosphere objective is to compare the germination rate of tomato seeds and the vigour of growth of tomato plants, after seed exposure to the following environmental conditions:

• Exposure to conditions in the Earth's environment only (the control group).
• Exposure to conditions of increased deceleration forces and higher temperatures for a brief period to simulate the environmental conditions on the space craft as it enters Mars orbit (aerocapture).

• The scientific method

• Theory
  • Seeds and germination
• Prediction
  • Seed treatment
• The experiment
• Observations
  • Collecting and recording your data
• Reporting your results
• Extension ideas
  • Further tomato plant research