Ladybugs in Space

LADYBUGS IN SPACE ON THE SHUTTLE

For years scientists have known that ladybugs will climb a stalk to capture aphids and aphids will escape by falling off the stalk with the help of gravity. The burning question that still remained was how would the aphid's defense mechanisms work in the absence of gravity? In other words, what would the aphid do to escape the ladybug in space? Finally, in 1999 four ladybugs were sent into space on NASA's space shuttle led by Eileen Collins. Ladybugs and their favorite food, aphids, were sent to zero gravity to study how aphids would get away without the aid of gravity. After completing the mission, it was evident that ladybugs survived and did eat aphids in a microgravity environment. Seems like ladybugs could qualify being astronauts!

Manifested aboard NASA’s STS-93 Mission, the “Ladybugs in Space” experiment probed the influence of microgravity on natural biological relationships— a concept important in considering future space travel and the possible colonization of distant worlds. The experiment allowed students to observe the interaction of ladybugs and aphids on growing wheat plants in orbit and to replicate the experiment in their classroom as controls. Each day during the mission, students and teachers could use the Internet to access new images of the interaction of ladybugs and aphids in space. Students then, along with NASA scientists, analyzed those images utilizing the same counting and measurement techniques used in recording the results of the classroom control experiments. As an integral part of the program curriculum, students studied the results from the experiment and were able to test hypotheses about the effects of microgravity on predator-prey relationships.