During his trip aboard the ISS in 2021, the French astronaut took with him a few blobs, a species that fascinates scientists. An experiment was then carried out in more than 4,500 classes in France. Rémi Canton, project manager of the French contribution to the Alpha mission, gives us some news…
In 2021, Thomas Pesquet left for six months aboard the International Space Station (ISS), as part of the Alpha mission. The opportunity for the French astronaut to carry out more than 200 scientific experiments, including the analysis of the behavior of a blob, a unicellular species which fascinates scientists. And for good reason, it is neither an animal nor a plant. The physarum polycephalum (its real name) defies the laws of biology! Devoid of a brain, it nevertheless exhibits intelligent behavior and is endowed with extraordinary adaptation capacities. It does not have legs, but can move. He is also capable of anticipating a change in his climatic environment, of finding a shorter path to exit a labyrinth, and every 8 hours, his genetic apparatus doubles…
This intriguing species was therefore chosen by the National Center for Space Studies (CNES) to carry out experiments around the blob in schools and thus raise awareness among young people of the scientific approach and careers. In total, more than 4,500 classes from France took part in the operation.Raise your blob“, from CE2 to Terminale, just like Thomas Pesquet from space. The objective: to compare the behavior of the blob on Earth and in weightlessness. Each establishment thus received 4 dehydrated blobs, little by little rehydrated and nourished. But since , no one has heard of this species with its astonishing animal life form anymore. So what happened to the blobs that went into space?
Rémi Canton, Project Manager at CNES who successfully carried out the French part of the Alpha mission alongside Thomas Pesquet, tells us more. “We fulfilled the objectives of the experiment which notably involved observing the blobs by video”, he specifies. “In microgravity, the blob behaved a little differently with a small impact on the speed of growth and movement (inside its box)“, explains Rémi Canton, who adds nuance: “there were only 4 blobs” which is in any case not enough to obtain a scientific result.
However, “the blob as such mainly served as a “pretext” to interest young people in science, to get them to compare what changes between the environment of the ISS and ours, and when a French astronaut is part of “a space mission, we then look for a subject of educational interest in addition to scientific experiments”. But like most experiences, “we then use a cargo ship, either for a round trip, to place the equipment that needs to be brought back to Earth” (with the astronauts of course!). Either we use “a one-way cargo vehicle intended to be disintegrated upon return by friction in the atmosphere“, and this is precisely what happened to the blobs taken aboard the ISS.
In spring 2026, French astronaut Sophie Adenot will make her first flight to the International Space Station (ISS) for a period of six months. “Its main mission will also be to advance scientific research, and here again, an educational experience should be planned with schools.“, confirms Rémi Canton. Moreover, the CNES offers, through its youth program, numerous projects aimed at young people and their teachers (Mission X, Argonautica, Astronaut for a day, Space is Class, Moon Camp, launching mini-rockets), as well as courses that can create great vocations!
