Space-bound experiment designed by Columbia students launches Saturday

A trio of Columbia high school students designed an original experiment that, on Saturday, will make its way into space to be tested on the International Space Station.

Keenan High School sophomores Tevin Glover, Parker Matthews and Cedric McQueen devised a never-done-before experiment that could have implications for potential future life in space.

The experiment will test how microgravity, or the condition of apparent weightlessness, affects the mixing of starch and water.

Or, in science-speak, it’s called “The Effects of Microgravity on the Turbidity of a Non-Newtonian Fluid Mixture of Cornstarch and Water.” Got it?

Last year, it was one of 21 student experiments chosen to be tested as part of the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program.

On Saturday, a rocket will carry the experiments into space to be tested on the International Space Station. It will launch at 10:01 a.m. at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

This story was originally published February 17, 2017 at 10:35 AM with the headline "Space-bound experiment designed by Columbia students launches Saturday."