美洲原住民种子被送上空间站

The Choctaw Heirloom Seeds investigation flew five varieties of heirloom seeds from the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma aboard the International Space Station in early November 2023. The seeds are Isito (Choctaw Sweet Potato Squash), Tobi (Smith Peas), Tanchi Tohbi (Flour Corn), Tvnishi (Lambsquarter), and Chukfi Peas. The seeds spent six months aboard station, returning to Earth in April 2024.

Next spring, Jones Academy students will plant the space-flown seeds alongside Earth-bound seeds of the same type in the school’s Growing Hope Garden. Students will hypothesize how the seeds will grow and make observations throughout the growing season.

Middle school teachers are developing curriculum incorporating the seeds’ journey to space station and students’ experiments in the garden. This research could impact Native and Indigenous populations across the United States, inviting underrepresented groups to engage with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

Image credit: NASA/Loral O’Hara

2023年11月初，乔克托族传家宝种子调查项目将俄克拉荷马州乔克托族的五种传家宝种子送上国际空间站。这些种子分别是Isito（乔克托红薯南瓜）、Tobi（史密斯豌豆）、Tanchi Tohbi（面粉玉米）、Tvnishi（藜）和 Chukfi豌豆。这些种子在空间站上待了六个月，于2024年4月返回地球。

明年春天，琼斯学院的学生将在学校的“成长希望花园”中种植太空种子和地球同类型的种子。学生们将假设种子将如何生长，并在整个生长季节进行观察。

中学教师正在开发课程，将种子的空间站之旅和学生在花园中的实验结合起来。这项研究可能会影响美国各地的原住民和土著居民，邀请弱势团体参与科学、技术、工程和数学活动。

影像来源: NASA/Loral O’Hara