Butterflies Headed to International Space Station

When the space shuttle Atlantis launches today, thousands of young insect enthusiasts in classrooms nationwide will be watching. Tucked away in the shuttle, which is headed to the International Space Station, is a precious cargo of caterpillars that students will be monitoring from the Web.

Painted ladies will be aboard the space shuttle Atlantis when it launches today.
Photo: © Flickr user jpockele

The insect payload will carry two butterfly habitats - one for painted lady larvae, and the other for monarch caterpillars - with enough nectar and other food to support their development while in space. About 100 lucky classrooms chosen to participate in the NASA project will simultaneously raise butterfly larvae in their schools. The experiment is designed to compare the growth and development of butterfly larvae in the weightless environment of space with those raised in an environment with gravity.

Once the habitats are transferred to the International Space Station, images of the larvae will be taken every 15 minutes, and transmitted daily to viewers via the Web. You can view the butterfly images online at bioedonline.org, a science support and teacher training site of the Baylor College of Medicine's Center for Education Outreach.

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