Monthly Archives: March 2016

When the NASA Space Shuttle was flying, it carried a variety of scientific equipment for running experiments. One of these devices was an enclosure for mice and rats. This equipment was used to test the effects of extremely low gravity on living creatures. The results of these studies are crucial so we can understand how space travel or extended stays on other planets may affect astronauts. Image Credit: Eric Moyer, Blue Marble Space In July 2011, the NASA Space Shuttle was retired. Since then, some of the equipment and experiments that were built for the shuttle are having to be re-purposed. A recent major innovation has been the adaptation of a 20-day rodent enclosure, basically a high tech cage, to support the mice for an additional 15 days. This change was made by only slightly changing the feeding system. The extension to 35 days of operation is important because now…

Read more

When the NASA Space Shuttle was flying, it carried a variety of scientific equipment for running experiments. One of these devices was an enclosure for mice and rats. This equipment was used to test the effects of extremely low gravity on living creatures. The results of these studies are crucial so we can understand how space travel or extended stays on other planets may affect astronauts. Image Credit: Eric Moyer, Blue Marble Space In July 2011, the NASA Space Shuttle was retired. Since then, some of the equipment and experiments that were built for the shuttle are having to be repurposed. A recent major innovation has been the adaptation of a 20-day rodent enclosure, basically a high tech cage, to support the mice for an additional 15 days. This change was made by only slightly changing the feeding system. The extension to 35 days of operation is important because now…

Read more

The NASA Space Shuttle program may have ended, but its hardware which enabled rodent research in space lives on into the International Space Station and other flight vehicles. New research published by NASA in the Nature Partner Journal: Microgravity tested if Animal Enclosure Module hardware, which facilitates rat and mouse experiments in space, could accommodate longer stays than their rated 20-day flight window. Following minor modifications to feeding system, the enclosures supported ground-based 35-day rat and mouse experiments, and suggested no ill effects for animal health or astronaut comfort. These results enabled further rodent research in current and future NASA spaceflight experiments. Ground data collected at the NASA Ames Research Center validated the use of Shuttle-Era rodent habitat hardware for an extended operational period, enabling its use on the International Space Station and other flight vehicles. The research, titled “Evaluation of rodent spaceflight in the NASA animal enclosure module for…

Read more

Astrobiology India has announced a project for college students to join the Young Scientist Program (YSP) of Blue Marble Space Institute of Science (BMSIS)   Project Title – “Astrobiology and Space Science in India”   Project Description  Astrobiology India, an initiative of Blue Marble Space, is aimed to encourage and promote awareness of Astrobiology and Space Sciences in India and to bring together the Indian Astrobiology community worldwide. The Young Scientist Program intends to promote the vision and mission of Astrobiology India by offering an opportunity to a student to conduct a study of the past, present, and future of space science and astrobiology research in India. Specifically, the student would carry out the in-depth literature study of the historical development and present scenario of space science and astrobiology research in India. The report will discuss the foundation of Astrobiology India, its goals, contributions, identification of possible challenges in the…

Read more

4/4