What are the effects of hydrogel polymers when mixed with water in microgravity vs. on Earth? Burleson Independent School District Burleson, Texas The Academy at Nola Dunn 5th Grade Facilitator-Susan Mundt 5th Grade Teacher Burleson ISD Delaney Storey-Principal Investigator Kylie Morton-Co Investigator Westley Mitchell-Co Investigator Bryston Baker-Co Investigator

Background We watched many videos of daily life on the space station such as brushing teeth and drinking water. We were fascinated by this and had many questions about the water simply floating around. This led to our initial wonder about how water is stored, reused, and absorbed.

Purpose The purpose of this experiment is to observe the effect of polymers and if they will absorb less or more water in microgravity.  Polymers are an important material as they are used in a variety of items on earth. They are used in credit cards, bottles, spandex, eyeglasses, and first aid packs. It is important to study the polymers and their absorption because this will one day help when families are living on the space station and not just astronauts.

The Question We propose to answer the question of what hydrogel polymers do when mixed with water in space. Our team is looking forward to finding out if these polymers (sodium polyacrylate) will absorb more or less water in a microgravity environment. Our research into polymers has shown us that polymers are capable of absorbing and holding large amounts of water. On Earth, the amount of water absorbed relies on the ability of water to diffuse. Since diffusion is the breaking apart of water molecules, gravity seems to play a large part in the amount of water absorbed. We think that the water will be easily absorbed in space. We believe that the diffusion process will be faster , and less amounts of gravity will make the amount of water absorbed by the polymers more than the amount absorbed on Earth.

Materials 2 grams of hydrogel polymers (sodium polyacrylate) (Target brand diapers) Type 2 FME Mini Lab 2 plastic faucet aerator screens by NEOPERL   2.0 ml of local Burleson, TX tap water 3/10 gram of one piece of cotton ball (Up & Up brand from Target)

Ground Truth Mini- Lab International Space Station Mini-Lab Harvesting- May 19, 2016 Ground Truth Mini- Lab International Space Station Mini-Lab

Distinct Differences in Mini Labs Ground Truth Lab Looked the same Cotton was a bit moldy Many granules left Granules did not absorb Weighed 24.2 grams No gel was formed Many dry polymers Space Station Lab Tube expanded Aerator had moved Cotton very moldy/wet Granules completely absorbed Gel was present Weighed 25.1 grams Formed a distinct shape

Conclusion 1. We were fascinated by the extreme differences in the two mini-labs. We were correct in our hypothesis that the polymers in Space would hold more water, and this is exactly what happened. 2. Absorption of polymers in space is completely different than the process of absorption on Earth.   3. In space the polymers absorbed far more water than on Earth. 4. The water vapor in space was enough for the polymers to absorb , but not on Earth. 5. Diffusion occurs more quickly in space. 6. We believe the polymers absorbed more in space due to less gravity and that the process of diffusion is quicker. It is easier for the polymers to do their job in space. 7.Our original thinking was correct in that the quick absorption of the polymers will be extremely helpful one day to those living in space. It is a more efficient method than other materials. We believe it is something that should be studied more in detail.   .

Acknowledgements