Space & Science News

NASA have send Hundreds of baby squid and microscopic organisms to the International Space Station on Thursday which where aboard a SpaceX rocket when it launched. The tiny creatures are part of a cargo resupply mission.

The rocket launched Thursday afternoon from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida — without any humans aboard the Dragon cargo capsule. It marks SpaceX's 22nd commercial resupply mission to space.

The creatures will be part of scientific experiments which include studying how water bears handle space, the possible effects of microgravity on symbiotic relationships, analyzing the formation of kidney stones and more.

Newly-hatched bobtail squid will be used to study symbiotic relationships between beneficial microbes and their animal hosts, and how spaceflight alters this relationship, in order to develop protective measures for the health of future astronauts on long-term missions.

"Animals, including humans, rely on our microbes to maintain a healthy digestive and immune system," says principal investigator Jamie Foster. "We do not fully understand how spaceflight alters these beneficial interactions. The UMAMI experiment uses a glow-in-the-dark bobtail squid to address these important issues in animal health."

Symbiotic squid and microbes

The Understanding of Microgravity on Animal-Microbe Interactions (UMAMI) study uses bobtail squid and bacteria to examine the effects of spaceflight on interactions between beneficial microbes and their animal hosts. This type of relationship is known as symbiosis. Beneficial microbes play a significant role in the normal development of animal tissues and in maintaining human health, but gravity’s role in shaping these interactions is not well understood. This experiment could support the development of measures to preserve astronaut health and identify ways to protect and enhance these relationships for applications on Earth.

Water bears take on space

Tardigrades, also known as water bears for their appearance when viewed under a microscope, are creatures that can tolerate extreme environments. The Cell Science-04 experiment aims to identify the genes involved in water bear adaptation and survival in these high-stress environments. The results could advance scientists’ understanding of the stress factors that affect humans in space.

On-the-spot ultrasound

The handheld, commercial Butterfly IQ Ultrasound device could provide critical medical capabilities to crews on long-term spaceflights where immediate ground support is not an option. This study will demonstrate the use of an ultrasound unit alongside a mobile computing device in microgravity. Its results have potential applications for medical care in remote and isolated settings on Earth.