Maine Students Selected for NASA Challenge to Send Yeast to Space

Students at William S. Cohen School in Bangor are preparing to send yeast to the edge of space as part of a nationwide NASA-supported challenge.

According to WABI, the project, called “Yeast in the Stars,” will test what happens when yeast is exposed to extreme conditions high above Earth. The experiment will travel on a high-altitude balloon reaching between 70,000 and 90,000 feet, where it will face intense UV radiation, cold temperatures, and low pressure before returning to the ground.

Science teacher Margaret Pietrak says the goal is to see whether those harsh conditions change the yeast in any way. Students hope to use the yeast in a future fermentation lab and possibly even bake bread to compare results, the news station reported.

The idea began last October when students submitted their proposal to the NASA TechRise Challenge, part of the Future Engineers competition. In January, Cohen School learned it had been selected as one of just 25 schools nationwide to have its experiment included on a NASA-sponsored balloon, channel 5 said.

Students say the announcement sparked major excitement and kicked off months of preparation. WABI reported that teams have been working on coding, soldering, wiring, and mounting components needed to complete the project. Along the way, students say they’re gaining hands-on engineering and programming experience.

Once completed, the group will present its work during the NASA TechRise Student Showcase on May 15, before sending the experiment for final testing the following day.

A launch party is planned for later this summer. After the balloon flight, the yeast will be returned to Cohen School in August, where students will use it in next year’s curriculum.