Three sixth-grade scientists from Argyle, Manitoba watched their experiment blast off from Earth last week, and their tests on the effects of space radiation will now be conducted aboard the International Space Station.

Ethan Enns, Avery Good and Ryan Petricig started working on their project in fifth grade. On Thursday, they watched the Orbital-1 Antares rocket -- which is transporting their experiment -- successfully launch from Wallops Island in Virginia.

The trio, who were supposed to follow their project all the way to the launch pad in Virgina, ended up watching the simulcast of the blast-off from the Manitoba Museum in Winnipeg. The rocket launch date had been changed a number of times due to solar flares and equipment problems, forcing the Brant-Argyle School students to stay home.

"No, I didn鈥檛 actually believe it because (the launch) was delayed so many times. I just couldn鈥檛 believe it. It鈥檚 mind blowing," Enns told 麻豆影视.

Enns and his co-scientists are studying how to protect astronauts from cancer caused by radiation. The risks associated with the effects of radiation has long been considered an impediment to prolonged space travel. last year found that deep space travel may increase the risk of colon cancer.

"We want to know if astronauts can decrease their risk of cancer by taking an antioxidant supplement," the students explain in their

The project is part of the , which was launched in 2010 by the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education. The Argyle students' proposal was picked from dozens of international entries and was the only Canadian entry selected.

The experiment involves injecting green tea into a yeast solution to see if the tea will prevent cell mutation in space. On earth, the students will conduct a control experiment.

"This will show us if there is an increase rate of damage to the yeast鈥檚 cells from the radiation and if the antioxidant will decrease the damage to the cells," explains the students鈥� proposal summary.

On Sunday, Interlake's director of the Student Spaceflight Experiment program Maria Nickel tweeted that the rocket had docked with the ISS.

With files from CTV鈥檚 Jill Macyshon