GBE Connect

GBE Connect lets teachers and students connect to Growing Beyond Earth® PlantLab devices via Bluetooth to:

• View real-time sensor data.
• Download logged sensor data for analysis.
• Automatically sync logged data with the GBE Data Portal.
• Keep the PlantLab’s clock and time zone synchronized with your phone.
• Program lights and fans using built-in programs or custom JSON.
• Configure Wi-Fi settings.
• Install PlantLab firmware updates.
• View device information, including the PlantLab’s MAC address.

Each time you connect to a PlantLab, GBE Connect automatically synchronizes its internal clock and time zone with your phone.

PlantLabs without a Wi-Fi connection save sensor logs to an internal SD card for later upload. GBE Connect automatically detects accumulated logs and uploads them to the GBE Data Portal. Depending on the amount of stored data, this may take from a few seconds to several minutes.

GBE Connect can also install new PlantLab firmware, including new features and bug fixes, wirelessly over Bluetooth. Available updates will appear in the app. PlantLabs connected to Wi-Fi receive firmware updates automatically without user intervention.


GROWING BEYOND EARTH® PLANTLAB

The GBE PlantLab is a custom-built growing environment for classroom plant experiments. Its dimensions, lighting, and ventilation are modeled after NASA plant habitats aboard the International Space Station. PlantLabs support a wide range of experiments, including research on food production under resource-constrained conditions relevant to spaceflight.

Each PlantLab has a lighting panel with four independently controlled LED channels (red, green, blue, and white) and a programmable fan. Its sensor module measures temperature, humidity, air pressure, carbon dioxide concentration, and light levels. Connections are also provided for optional accessories, including a soil moisture sensor and water pump.

When connected to a compatible Wi-Fi network, the PlantLab automatically sends sensor data to the GBE Data Portal at 10-minute intervals and receives firmware updates automatically.


ABOUT GROWING BEYOND EARTH®

Growing Beyond Earth® (GBE) transforms middle and high school classrooms into a global space agriculture research network. Students conduct hands-on research to help identify food plants that could sustain astronauts on long-duration space missions.

Designed and operated by Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden in partnership with NASA, GBE has more than 450 participating schools worldwide. Since its inception in 2015, the program has engaged more than 80,000 students.

Students grow crops in tabletop PlantLabs modeled after NASA plant habitats aboard the International Space Station. As they conduct experiments, students collect plant growth and yield data while the PlantLabs record environmental conditions. Scientists and mission experts at NASA Kennedy Space Center use these data to help inform crop-selection decisions for future space missions.

GBE invites students to participate in one of humanity’s most important long-term challenges: developing resilient food-production systems beyond the limits of traditional agriculture. By investigating how crops grow in controlled environments under constrained conditions, students contribute to research that may one day help support human life in space while advancing sustainable food production here on Earth.


HOW TO ENROLL IN GROWING BEYOND EARTH®

Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden accepts applications from middle and high schools worldwide.