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ORBITING FROG OTOLITH MISSION
In 1970, NASA launched two bullfrogs into orbit to study vestibular function; over six days, the animals provided hours of data on balance in weightlessnessIn 1970, an extraordinary experiment sent two frogs, Pierre and Tee-Nom, into orbit around Earth. Researchers closely examined their inner ...
8 years, 10 billion km, one shot: The spacecraft racing toward Mercury faces its trickiest hour yetA spacecraft carrying European and Japanese probes will complete an eight-year journey to arrive at Mercury on Thursday, while still facing...
In 1990, the USSR sent six Japanese tree frogs to the Mir space station for an eight-day experiment, where researchers watched them float with all four legs stretched out and their bodies bent backward - then found the frogs improved their ability to land after jumping in microgravitySix Japanese tree frogs journeyed to the Soviet space station Mir in 1990. They spent eight days in microgravity, which allowed researchers...
Toyohiro Akiyama dies at 84: Japan’s first person in space was a journalist who live-reported from Mir and observed six tree frogs in zero gravityToyohiro Akiyama, the trailblazing figure and Japan's first civilian in space, has passed away at the age of 84. His remarkable journey to ...
ISRO's launch of India's first imaging satellite will help keep a permanent eye on its border from 36,000 km awayISRO is preparing to launch EOS-05, or Gisat-1A, on September 4 aboard the GSLV-F17 rocket from Sriharikota. Positioned about 36,000 km abo...
In 2010, NASA launched a 12-pound, loaf-of-bread-sized satellite with two Bacillus populations; radiation exposure reached about 15 times that of the ISS orbitNASA's O/OREOS mission embarked on an exciting journey to observe how bacteria withstand the rigors of space radiation. The compact satelli...
In 1967, Biosatellite II irradiated parasitic wasps for 2 days in orbit; females later laid as many eggs as controls, and hatchability remained excellentA 1967 NASA mission sent parasitic wasps into orbit around Earth. These wasps showed surprising resistance to radiation damage while in spa...
In 2006, NASA and French Space Agency CNES launched a satellite in a joint mission to probe the properties of Earth's thin clouds and aerosolsIn 2006, NASA and French Space Agency CNES launched a satellite in a joint mission to probe the properties of Earth's thin clouds and aeros...
In 1996, Endeavour released a coffee-table-size package that inflated into a 46-foot antenna; the tennis-court-size structure worked for several hours in spaceIn 1996, NASA's Endeavour shuttle achieved a significant milestone by launching an inflatable antenna experiment that expanded to the dimen...
NASA sent a 77-year-old payload specialist back into space in 1998, 36 years after he became the first American to orbit Earth - not just to make history again, but to study how an older human body responds to microgravity, becoming the oldest person ever to fly in spaceJohn Glenn returned to space aboard the shuttle Discovery in 1998. He became the oldest person to travel into space at age seventy-seven. N...
India's new eye in the sky: Everything to know about ISRO's GSLV-F17 launch of first geostationary imager on Sept 4India's space agency ISRO is preparing to launch its GSLV-F17 rocket soon. This rocket will carry the EOS-05 satellite into a specific orbi...
In 2003, researchers found freshwater snails had mated in space; their gravity-sensing statoconia were 50% larger by volume than matched ground controlsExperiments conducted aboard the Space Shuttle demonstrated that pond snails bred in microgravity possessed larger gravity-sensing structur...
In 1984, Challenger captured the failing SolarMax satellite; astronauts spent nearly seven hours repairing it before sending the observatory back to workIn 1984, a groundbreaking space mission adeptly salvaged the nearly inoperative SolarMax satellite. Astronauts successfully captured and re...
In 1984, two shuttle-deployed satellites became stranded when their rocket stages failed; months later, Discovery astronauts captured both and returned them to the shuttleIn 1984, a space shuttle mission retrieved two communication satellites left in the wrong orbit. Insurance underwriters funded this unusual...
Can fish populate space? In 1994, four medaka fish were flown aboard Columbia. They laid 43 eggs; 8 babies were born in space with no gravity. Adult fish, however, forgot to use one organ in their bodyIn 1994, Japanese astronaut Chiaki Mukai was pleasantly shocked to find that new life could indeed be born in space. Four fish he had carri...
In 2021, a spacecraft was launched on a first-ever suicide mission to try to deflect an asteroid on impact in space in the revolutionary planetary defense experiment: How NASA’s DART mission changed an asteroid’s orbitIn 2021, a spacecraft was launched on a first-ever suicide mission to try to deflect an asteroid on impact in space in the revolutionary pl...
In 1992, Endeavour carried 4 female African clawed frogs into orbit; their eggs were fertilized in microgravity and developed into apparently normal tadpolesIn 1992, four frogs embarked on a journey aboard the space shuttle Endeavour as part of a groundbreaking reproductive experiment. Their egg...
In 1992, Endeavour rescued stranded Intelsat VI; three astronauts captured it by hand, and a new booster sent the satellite to geosynchronous orbitIn 1992, NASA unleashed the Endeavour shuttle on an ambitious mission to salvage a damaged satellite. The crew faced daunting challenges du...
In 1958, US Air Force launched an Able 1 spacecraft to the Moon in humanity’s first attempt to send a spaceship anywhere beyond Earth orbit but the mission lasted only 73.6 secondsIn 1958, US Air Force launched an Able 1 spacecraft to the Moon in humanity’s first attempt to send a spaceship anywhere beyond Earth orbit...
In 1973, NASA sent two fish into space to test their swimming ability in zero gravity; they initially swam in loops but later used light as cue to move normally after 21 daysIn 1973, NASA sent two mummichog fish and 50 eggs aboard Skylab 3 to study how weightlessness affected their sense of balance. The fish ini...