Two South Jersey science experiments are on the way to the International Space Station at this very moment.

On Monday, August 14, as SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket took off at 12:31 pm, two science experiments from the Waterford Elementary School and Stockton University were among the resupply and experiments cargo.

Under the supervision of teacher Debbie Turner, five female students at Waterford Elementary School created an experiment to see how well eggplant seeds will grow in near zero gravity. The purpose is to provide food with high moisture for astronauts in space.

The experiment from Stockton University was titled, “Spores in Space: The Effects of Microgravity on Endomycorrhizae.” Devised by Valkyrie Falciani and Danielle Ertz, the experiment will test fungus as a way to improve agriculture in space.

Falciani and Ertz’s experiment was chosen from 11 proposals (three from Stockton students) submitted to the Student Space Flight Experiment Program run by the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education.

Both student groups will conduct their experiments here on Earth at the same time as they are being conducted at the Space Station later this month.

You can watch today’s the SpaceX launch here.