World Space Week Day 5 with Magnitude.io – Germany and Sri Lanka

While our ExoLab missions exist in orbit 400 km above the planet, we study how to improve life here on Earth. This occurs in many different ways around the world, but it most often starts with teachers. Many partners have been with us for several years already. The unique partners we introduce today are CodeDoor with the Media Center for schools (M@US) in the Gießen-Vogelsberg region in Germany and Dreamspace Academy, a non-profit social enterprise…

World Space Week with Magnitude.io – Day 4: Senegal and South Africa

When Tony and I started Magnitude in 2013, we had no idea where it would go. We just knew we wanted to make a difference in the world through extraordinary learning moments. A few years later in 2017 our first mission to the International Space Station became a reality (yet even today I still have no idea where it will go)! What I do know is that we could not possibly do the things we…

World Space Week – Day #3: Kenya and Morocco

A newly planted tree whip will not bear fruit immediately. It must be given ample water, light, and good soil. The young tree must also be given time to grow and mature. So too with the young minds and knowledge. A constant source of insight and inspiration for Magnitude.io comes from our NGO partners. They too understand that education often feels like planting young trees. The partners we would like to celebrate today are Zaidi-STEM…

World Space Week with Magnitude.io – Day 2!

After 9 missions to space, Magnitude.io has engaged schools, science centers, libraries, and museums around the world. World Space Week is a wonderful opportunity for us to share and celebrate the amazing work of our partner organizations as co-create experiences not just today, but for the future that is just over the horizon. For Day #2, we’d like to share the interconnected partnerships established in New South Wales, Australia and the Greater Sydney Area.  …

World Space Week with Magnitude.io

Join Magnitude.io from October 4-10 as we celebrate the on-going work of our partners and NGOs through World Space Week! With this year’s theme of sustainability, we will introduce some of our partners and the work they are doing in preparation for our next mission, ExoLab-10: Carbon Farmer. (You still have two weeks to join us!) Opportunities For Youth in Africa (OYA) For the first day of World Space Week 2022 we’re showcasing Opportunities for…

So Fun Scholarship Awardees

We are awestruck and inspired by the Tony So Fun Scholarship applications from students all around the world! It was a pleasure to read through all of the applications, and really tough making the decisions. We encourage all students to continue to strive toward their goals of the world they imagine. One award was planned to be given for each age category of applicants: ages 13-15, ages 16-18, and ages 19-21. To apply, students had…

So Fun Scholarship announcement

Explore. Protect. Invent. In January of this year we lost a visionary leader and co-founder of Magnitude, Tony So. On this Earth Day we honor his memory by offering the So Fun Scholarship program open to students around the world from ages 13-21. Submissions are open worldwide where 3 awardees may realize their dream in scientific exploration, environmental protection, or scientific invention with a $500 USD scholarship. Applications are open from 1 May through 21…

Growing Plants in Space is the New Post-Pandemic Normality

Growing Plants in Space is the New Post-Pandemic Normality

Guest blog post by Javier Montiel, M. Ed. It is 8:00 AM, and the students know exactly what to do. As they enter the classroom, one student turns on the computer monitor that displays the space images from ISS Above and checks the maps to see when the ISS will fly over our school, another student checks the test tubes inside the ExoLab for signs of growth. In our window frame, with a beautiful morning…

Sunday is Monday.

Sunday is Monday. I’ve always appreciated the reverse commute. The zag over the zig. What are the days of the week, other than habit or ritual? So here I am, in a wonderful space that can hold many, alone in a serene landscape of reflection. Not without purpose, of course. Sunday in Berkeley is Monday in Sydney, and there are things to do. Today we announce a multi-year engagement with the Powerhouse Museum and the…

How can you capture the most carbon growing alfalfa?

How can you capture the most carbon growing alfalfa?

Become a Carbon Farmer through the ExoLab-10 ground trials in preparation for the mission to the International Space Station later this year. Your goal is to grow the largest alfalfa plant in a closed and artificial environment in 28 days.  Alfalfa is a versatile forage and legume crop known for high edible biomass production, ability to sequester carbon and rejuvenate soils, and a potential biofuel. Different growing methods and environmental conditions affect biomass produced and…