ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- Three East High School students, two of whom will be off to college in a few days, are the minds behind a science experiment heading to the International Space Station on board the SpaceX CRS-12 Rocket, taking off from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

"We are testing phytoplankton,” said Binti Mohammed. “because phytoplankton makes up 80 percent of the oxygen. We are trying to see how chlorophyll deteriorates in space."

"Our experiment is about how the deterioration of chlorophyll is affected by normal gravity conditions versus microgravity conditions," said De’Aunte Johnson.

East High was one of 21 schools from around the United States and Canada to be chosen for this experiment.

"At first I wanted to give up, because it seemed so hard,” said Tailor Davis, “it was so much work, I didn't think that we would get picked, so when we handed our stuff in, I was like whatever, but then we were picked. It was pretty cool."