Readings | Presentations

Overview

In November 1957, a Russian dog named Laika became the first animal to orbit the Earth. This milestone marked the beginning of the study of living organisms in space. Monkeys soon followed, on both American and Russian spacecraft. Though early scientific ambitions were modest, the study of organisms in space has since expanded to contribute to almost every aspect of space exploration, as well as extending our knowledge of life on Earth.

The increasing sophistication of this research reflects not only the changing demands and ambitions of space exploration, but also the breakthroughs of four decades of biological research here on Earth. This is especially true of advances in molecular biology and the characterization and use of model organisms from bacteria to mice. The study of animals and plants in space has yielded detailed and valuable insights into life's adaptation to the space environment, contributed to astronaut health and safety, and provided unique research opportunities to study Earth-based medical conditions.

Readings

Animals in Space
Description: NASA offers a brief introduction to the topic for students on this Web page. (Posted on 10/04)

C. elegans Biology
Description: Taken from a short biology course for NASA engineers, this document deals with the value and use of nematodes in space biology research. (Posted on 10/04)

D. melanogaster Biology
Description: Taken from a short biology course for NASA engineers, this document deals with the value and use of fruit flies in space biology research. (Posted on 10/04)

Drosophila Behavior and Gene Expression in Microgravity
Description: This slide profiles a potential fruit fly experiment for the International Space Station. It provides a snapshot of some of the issues and justification that must be addressed in planning a space biology experiment. (Posted on 10/04)

Experimentation with Animal Models in Space
Description: Volume 10 of the Advances in Space Biology and Medicine series covers the latest developments in the use of animal models to study the effects of the space flight environment on physiological systems. Each chapter is devoted to a particular animal model or physiological system. (Posted on 10/05)

Laboratory Animals in Space
Description: This article presents an overview of the historical involvement of animals in space, describes the hardware and logistics of flying animal payloads on the space shuttle orbiters, and discusses future plans for animal experiments in space. (Posted on 10/04)

Model Organisms
Description: The Scientist magazine published this special online issue on model organisms. Free registration is required. (Posted on 10/04)

Rat Physiology
Description: The rat is the most used, and arguably, the most important species for studying physiology in space. This document from a short course on basic biology for engineers describes rat physiology on Earth and in space. (Posted on 10/04)

Studying Living Organisms in Space
Description: Taken from Life Into Space: Space Life Sciences Experiments, 1991-1998 (K. Souza, G. Etheridge, and Paul X. Callahan, editors (2000), this chapter provides an overview of the issues and challenges of studying organisms in space. Included is an interview with former NASA Chief Veterinary Officer Joseph Bielitzki on the ethical use of animals in space life sciences research. (Posted on 10/04)

Worms in Space
Description: With its completely sequenced genome, small size, and short life cycle nematodes (C. elegans) are an ideal organism for space experiments. This article profiles experiments launching nematodes in weather balloons into the atmosphere. These experiments, designed to study reduced gravity effects on the worms, were also important precursors to other experiments planned for launch into low earth orbit. (Posted on 10/04)

Presentations

Biology & Countermeasures Research on the ISS Centrifuge Accommodations Module
Description: The Centrifuge Accommodation Module (CAM) will be the primary non-human biology research facility on the ISS. This presentation discusses how the animal research made possible by the CAM will allow for the development and testing of countermeasures to ensure astronaut health in space. Lecture notes can be viewed in the Notes field of the PowerPoint file. (Posted on 04/05)

Organisms in Space Description: Biological research can't happen without a research subject. This is as true in space as it is on the ground. In fact, an amazing array of plants, animals, and microbes have been studied in space. This presentation offers an overview of the what, when, how, why. Lecture notes appear in the notes field of the PowerPoint file. (Posted on 10/04)

Links

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Model Organisms Guide
The National Center for Biotechnology Information at the National Library of Medicine provides information on a large number of model organisms in this online guide. Only a few of these organisms have been used in space biology research so far.