The Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) collaborated with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) to distribute “over space-exposed seeds” to junior high school students and educators during the Space Seeds Turnover Ceremony in Pasig City on March 8.

The ceremony marked the culmination of PhilSA’s Herb in Space comic strip contest, in which students from the National Capital Region (NCR) demonstrated their artistic and scientific abilities by depicting the journey of coriander seeds from Earth to space and back.

JAXA provided the space-exposed coriander seeds as prizes to the victorious schools: Victorino Mapa High School, Pasig Catholic College, Manila Science High School, St. Louis College of Valenzuela, Carlos Albert High School, Lagro High School, Cayetano Arellano High School, Montessori Academy of Valenzuela, Batasan Hills National High School, and Dr. Josefa Jara Martinez High School.

The University of the Philippines (UP) Manila, University of Santo Tomas (UST), and De La Salle University (DLSU) were also given the seeds for research purposes.

The seeds, harvested as part of Mission 2 of the Kibo-Asian Beneficial Collaboration (Kibo-ABC) Asian Herb in Space (AHiS) Program, have been exposed to the extreme conditions of outer space within the Kibo Module of the International Space Station (ISS).

Experimentation

During his speech, PhilSA Director General Joel Joseph S. Marciano Jr. emphasized the significance of the potential outcomes resulting from experiments conducted by various educational institutions in connection to seeds.

He said these outcomes play a crucial role in the success of long-term space missions and studies, ultimately contributing to the sustainability of outer space activities.

“This [Kibo-ABC] is a very important program because it allows countries like the Philippines to access the space environment through the International Space Station," Marciano said.

"Without programs like Kibo-ABC, access to the space environment might still be a dream for many countries, including the Philippines,” he added.

Space S&T awareness

PhilSA led the Philippine participation in the AHiS initiative. In partnership with this endeavor, JAXA provided space-exposed seeds for use in educational, research, and development activities.

This collaboration aims to enhance public awareness of the significance of space science and technology applications in the country.

Following the turnover, the space-exposed seeds are intended for experimentation.

“The schools that received the space-exposed seeds are expected to germinate these in a controlled and treatment group. Data will then be collected and analyzed for presentation to PhilSA,” the agency said.

“Envisioned to potentially develop space food and space agriculture for the advancement of local agricultural industry and future human space habitation, this activity highlights JAXA's role in providing the youth the opportunity to participate in space-related research and experiments,” it added.