On June 3, NASA will send 128 glow-in-the-dark squid and about 5,000 slow-moving squid (also called water bears) to the International Space Station for research purposes.
The aquatic animal, which will launch with SpaceX’s 22nd cargo reloading mission to the International Space Station, is part of an experiment that could help scientists design better preventative measures for astronauts traveling in space for extended periods of time. long. The experiment also aims to better understand how beneficial microbes interact with animals, which could lead to breakthroughs in improving human health on Earth.
Search the International Space Station
A space station is basically a large spacecraft that stays in low Earth orbit for long periods of time. It’s like a huge laboratory in space, allowing astronauts to go up and stay for weeks or months to conduct experiments in microgravity.
The International Space Station has been in space since 1998, and is noted for the exemplary collaborations between the five participating space agencies it runs: NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA (Japan), the European Space Agency (Europe), and Canadian Space Agency. (Canada).
For more than 20 years since launch, humans have lived continuously and carried out scientific investigations aboard the $150 billion International Space Station under microgravity conditions, enabling them to achieve research breakthroughs impossible on Earth.
According to NASA, the Floating Laboratory has hosted more than 3,000 research and educational papers from researchers in 108 countries and territories, conducting the latest research in a variety of disciplines, including biology, human physiology, physics, materials, and space science.
So why are marine animals needed on the International Space Station?
The water bear and squid-tailed squid will participate in experiments aboard the floating laboratory, and will arrive in a semi-frozen state before being thawed, revived, and planted in a special breeding system, according to CNN.
One such study involved looking at how surviving water – small (about 1 mm) animals that can adapt to harsh conditions on Earth, including high pressure, temperature, and radiation – would behave in a spaceflight environment. Researchers will be able to closely study their strengths and possibly identify the genes that allow them to be so tough.
By studying how water bears survive in low-gravity conditions, it will be possible to design better technologies to keep astronauts healthy on long-term space missions.
Scientists also wanted to see how microgravity conditions affect the relationship between the two-tailed squid – which is also very small (3 mm long) – and beneficial microbes, as part of a study called UMAMI, which is an acronym for understanding microgravity in animal interactions. -microbes.
Microbes play an important role in the normal development of animal tissues and in the maintenance of human health, and this research will allow scientists to gain a better understanding of how beneficial microbes interact with animals when their attractiveness is lacking.
Microorganisms in the human body contribute to a variety of functions, including digestion, immune system development, and the detoxification of harmful chemicals. Disrupting our relationship with these microbes can lead to disease.
According to NASA, this research could lead to important breakthroughs. On Earth, we may be able to find ways to protect and even enhance the complex relationships between animals and beneficial microbes, thereby ensuring better human health and well-being. In space, the results will help the space agency develop better measures to protect astronauts from harmful changes to host microbes on long-term missions.
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