Astrofarmer Classroom Package

Grow plants in lunar regolith simulant

The Astrofarmer Classroom Package is a hands-on STEM kit that lets students grow plants in LHS-1E lunar highlands regolith simulant and compare the results against Earth soil. One kit supports up to 25 student teams and includes the simulant, the control soil, the growing hardware, the safety gear, and a digital workbook with lesson plans.

We make it at Space Resource Technologies in Oviedo, Florida, using the same research-grade simulant that university and industry labs buy for ISRU testing. Students run the experiment on the actual material, not a substitute.

What's in the kit

• LHS-1E lunar regolith simulant (1 bucket). Our economy highlands simulant, formulated to match the mineralogy and grain characteristics of the lunar highlands.
• Earth soil (1 bucket). The experimental control, so students can measure a difference instead of guessing at one.
• Growing pots. Enough for up to 25 teams to run paired simulant and soil trials.
• Seeds. Ready to plant on day one.
• Scoopers and stirrers. For measuring and mixing consistent sample volumes.
• Protective face masks. Fine-grained simulant is a respiratory irritant, so every team gets dust protection.
• Astrofarmer stickers. Because students keep them.
• Digital workbook. Lesson plans, background reading, data tables, and the scientific context behind lunar agriculture research.

How the experiment works

1. Teams split into simulant pots and Earth soil pots.
2. Students plant identical seeds in both and hold light, water, and temperature constant.
3. Over the following weeks, teams record germination rate, height, and plant health.
4. The workbook walks the class through why lunar regolith behaves differently: no organic matter, poor water retention, sharp angular grains, and a mineral profile unlike anything in terrestrial soil.

Students finish with a real dataset, a real control, and a real reason the answer matters. Any crew living on the Moon will have to solve this problem.

Who it's for

Middle school, high school, and introductory undergraduate courses in Earth and space science, biology, agriculture, and general STEM. It also works for science clubs, museum programs, summer camps, and homeschool co-ops. Educators who want the mushroom-growing version of this experiment can look at the Astrofarmer grow kit instead.

Specifications

Questions educators ask

Is this real Moon soil?
No. Returned lunar samples are not commercially available. LHS-1E is a simulant, engineered to reproduce the mineralogy and grain characteristics of lunar highlands regolith so that experiments on it behave like experiments on the real thing.

Will plants actually grow in lunar regolith simulant?
Some will, and that is the point of the experiment. Germination and early growth are possible, but plants in simulant typically underperform plants in Earth soil because regolith has no organic content and holds water poorly. Students measure that gap themselves.

Is the simulant safe for students?
Yes, with basic precautions. The material is a fine mineral powder and should not be inhaled, which is why masks are included. Use it in a ventilated space, keep it out of eyes, and wash hands afterward.

What grade levels does it suit?
The workbook supports middle school through introductory college. Younger classes can run the growth comparison as a guided activity; older students can take on variable control, statistics, and write-ups.

How long does the experiment take?
Plan for several weeks of observation after planting, depending on the seed type and growing conditions.

Can we reuse the simulant?
The simulant itself does not degrade, so it can be dried and stored for future demonstrations. Growth results will differ after the first planting cycle.