Native American Seeds Flown Aboard Space Station

The Choctaw Heirloom Seeds investigation flew five varieties of heirloom seeds from the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma aboard the International Space Station in early November 2023. The seeds are Isito (Choctaw Sweet Potato Squash), Tobi (Smith Peas), Tanchi Tohbi (Flour Corn), Tvnishi (Lambsquarter), and Chukfi Peas. The seeds spent six months aboard station, returning to Earth in April 2024.

Next spring, Jones Academy students will plant the space-flown seeds alongside Earth-bound seeds of the same type in the school’s Growing Hope Garden. Students will hypothesize how the seeds will grow and make observations throughout the growing season.

Middle school teachers are developing curriculum incorporating the seeds’ journey to space station and students’ experiments in the garden. This research could impact Native and Indigenous populations across the United States, inviting underrepresented groups to engage with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

Image credit: NASA/Loral O’Hara