Between October 11 and 17, 4,500 classes in France were able to experiment with their own blobs, as was the case for the CM1-CM2 class of the St Eucaire school, in Metz. In Space emission last week they were able to discover them, thanks to Thomas Pesquet.
Today, they want to go back to their own experiences, and compare what they saw with the astronaut, who carried four blobs with him aboard the ISS.
The blobs! Now that a lot of classes have one all over France, I guess I’m no longer the only one wondering what he’s doing while my back is turned #MissionAlpha pic.twitter.com/HIEsEAYofs
– Thomas Pesquet (@Thom_astro) October 13, 2021
“This week, in class, we are working on the blob, this funny yellow organism that is neither an animal nor a plant. We are doing the experiments proposed by the scientist Audrey. It is true that you also did. the same protocols as us? “, demand Camille, I have 10 years.
Thomas Pesquet replied in the affirmative, while specifying that “The only difference is that I can’t open the box. My blob, it’s locked up and can’t come out. I can’t open the box to control it. We don’t want it. is spreading all over the station. “
Maëlle, 9 years old, then ask his question, “Has the blob adapted well to its new environment?” , and here is what the astronaut answers him:
“I think he adapted very well to the space, and was almost a full crew member!”
Thomas Pesquetto franceinfo
Which results surprised the most? asks Theo. Thomas Pesquet finds that the blob “He is doing very, very well, he was in great shape, almost better than on Earth, as if it helped him to be here. And you see that in a few organisms too. That’s what is interesting. , but we have to wait for the official results, which are made by scientists. But me, that’s what surprised me the most. ”
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Christ, 11 years old, would like to know if the astronaut made a mistake or a bad manipulation while dealing with the blob. Thomas Pesquet admits that yes, it happened to him. He had to give them water, and he put too much in the first blob. He was a little worried, but in the end there were no unfortunate consequences for the little organism! And to answer the question of Naël, 9 years old, no, he will not be able to retrieve the blob, “his career ends aboard the ISS”.
At last, Paden, 9 years old, ask the last question of this space show, “Do you have any other ideas for blob experiments we could try out in class?”
Thomas Pesquet answers him, “I think the scientists at CNES and others have plenty of them. But I think you could try to make him do a route. You will see which route he takes, try to make him a labyrinth so that he can find his way. food … things like that … i think that would be a first step.
But it’s good, in fact, this reflection that you have, it’s a bit the scientific process. You have to ask yourself questions. Now we have to tell ourselves that we have learned that, what is the next question, how are we going to answer it? What protocol do we put in place to respond to them? So there. And then, that’s how we move forward in space research, or in the classroom. Well done !”.
On this page, you can listen to this new episode of Space emission, in which astronaut Thomas Pesquet answers children’s questions about life aboard the ISS. An event not to be missed every Saturday on franceinfo radio, and to be found in a podcast.