KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla., Nov. 29, 2000 -- Canadian astronaut Marc
Garneau will kick off the first stage of a nationwide student experiment
Thursday evening when he launches on a mission to the International Space
Station with 300,000 tomato seeds.
The two-pound bag of space-flown seeds will be used to support the
Canadian-initiated "Tomatosphere: Seeds in Space" program. The educational
experiment involves the participation of 3,000 elementary school classrooms,
intending to allow each student an inspiring introduction to the scientific
method of investigation.
"I'm thrilled to participate in Tomatosphere," said Dr. Garneau. "The
students' findings will address the question of whether plants in space can
provide life support such as oxygen and food for longer space missions.
Currently, space-mission vehicles are able to carry just enough of these
requirements to service the crew for short missions. The future astronauts to
Mars are the students that are in elementary school today."
Beginning in the spring of 2001, each class will use the Web to report
germination rates for each of four test groups. Teachers can register at
http://www.tomatosphere.org and receive a special curriculum supplement that includes
the space-flown seeds.
"Heinz Canada is excited to be a partner in Tomatosphere," says Heinz
Canada President and CEO Mark Leckie. "This project is a unique vehicle that
teaches our children about science, space, nutrition and about Canada, as a
world leader in the production of safe and nutritious food products."
The Tomatosphere project is sponsored by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada,
Heinz Canada, the University of Guelph, Centre for Research in Earth and Space
Technology (CRESTech), Ontario Agri-Food Education Inc., the Canadian Space
Agency and the Canadian Space Resource Centre.
For more information, visit http://www.tomatosphere.org, or contact:
Alex Wooley
Manager, Media Relations
University of Guelph
519-824-4120, Ext. 6982.
Christina Sit
Communications Coordinator
Heinz Canada
416-226-8858
SOURCE H. J. Heinz Company
 back to top
Related links:
http://www.heinz.com
Company News On-Call:
http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/575757.html or fax,
800-758-5804, ext. 575757
CONTACT:
Alex Wooley, Manager, Media Relations of
University of Guelph, 519-824-4120 Ext. 6982; Christina Sit,
Communications Coordinator, Heinz Canada, 416-226-8858
NOTE TO EDITORS: Student experiment b-roll and photos available
at http://www.tomatosphere.org
|
