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Glendora students honored for Mission 19 brine-shrimp experiment headed to International Space Station
Summary
Glendora High students presented their Mission 19 experiment comparing brine shrimp development in microgravity and on Earth and were recognized by the board; students said astronaut partners will run the space-side protocol and preserved samples are expected back in the fall for classroom analysis.
A team of Glendora High School students described and were recognized for their Mission 19 project — a student space flight experiment that will compare early brine shrimp development aboard the International Space Station with identical controls on Earth.
The students told the Glendora Unified School District board that the experiment will ship two identical test-tube assemblies: one set to the ISS and one kept on Earth. "We have one copy of them at home and then a replica of them aboard the ISS," a student presenter said, explaining that astronauts will follow the students' protocol, fix the specimens in formalin and return them for microscopic comparison.
The presentation included details of the students' lab work and the pilot phases that led to the flight proposal. Principal Daniella Kent and Superintendent Dominic DeGrazia thanked the Glendora Education Foundation for funding and praised the students’ hands-on research. Kent called the students "pioneers," and the board recognized contest winners in an accompanying coloring-and-patch contest for younger students.
Why it matters: The project gives local students a rare opportunity to design, test and analyze a space biology experiment and to contribute original data about organismal development in microgravity. Trustees noted the educational value and asked staff to keep the board apprised of the timeline and results.
What’s next: Students said the experiment is scheduled to launch May 21, 2025, and that the preserved samples will likely return and be analyzed at the school in the fall. Board members suggested the district share findings and celebrate results when analyses are complete.
