SSPI's Silicon Valley Chapter is currently accepting science proposals from local students interested in satellite and the exploration of space. A group of five students at the Summit Denali High School recently submitted a proposal for launching a tardigrade habitat to the International Space Station.

The following excerpt is from their proposal:

Moon Bears to Space is a project where our fundamental goal is to send tardigrades/water bears in a living habitat to the International Space Station and eventually the moon. Tardigrades were some of the first organisms to live on Earth. They also managed to survived every single mass extinction event. So we believe they should have the right be the first to colonize the moon. Our plan is to build a self-sustaining environment for the tardigrades, in which they can thrive and reproduce while being in orbit around the Earth. The self-sustaining environment will be 3D printed from the ISS, while our other essential materials, including the tardigrades, will be sent up in an envelope or small package. 

To learn more about their proposal, contact sean.casey@siliconvalleyspacecenter.org.