The experiment is tentatively scheduled August/September.
The Azuki bean will be grown from seed for 7 days onboard “Kibo" inside the International Space Station.
Astronauts will film the sprouting of Azuki beans grown in space and transmit the images to Earth.
- Azuki beans, Vigna angularis cv. Erimowase, are implanted into a rockwool block medium under dry conditions and sent to the Kibo module of ISS.
- The rockwool is wetted by water to let beans to germinate in orbit. The seeds are put inside an opaque bag and kept in the cabin.
- Seven days (TBD) later, the bag is opened and the growth and the shape of seedlings are observed. Video images are taken and downlinked.
- Downlinked video images are distributed to participating students.
- If extra crew operations are possible, astronauts can pick some sprouts out and touch them to examine its stiffness and other physical properties, i.e. gravity resistance.
You can find a detailed account of the above procedures here: