Gaganyaan delays should be taken with 'pinch of salt': Astronaut Angad PratapGaganyaan astronaut Angad Pratap acknowledged that delays are a natural part of developing ambitious programs. He assured that the astronau...
In 1997, NASA grew Brassica rapa on Mir for 122 days to test a full life cycle; seed-to-seed cycles succeeded, but space-grown seeds were smallerIn an exciting development, researchers have achieved seed-to-seed cycling of plants in microgravity environments, demonstrating gravity in...
In 1979, Cosmos 1129 flew five female and two male rats for 18.5 days and allowed them to mate; no normal pregnancies resulted in flight, while a later ground study produced healthy littersCosmos 1129, a Soviet biosatellite, conducted groundbreaking research on rat reproduction in space. Through ground simulations that mimicke...
In 2015, fruit flies were sent to International Space Station to study how microgravity and the space environment affect the innate immune systemIn 2015, fruit flies were sent to International Space Station to study how microgravity and the space environment affect the innate immune ...
In 1958, a mouse nicknamed Minnie Mouse was sent to space by the United States Air Force under the first Mouse-in-Able (MIA-1) mission aboard a two-stage Thor-Able rocket but the animal didn't survive the flightIn 1958, a mouse nicknamed Minnie Mouse was sent to space by the United States Air Force under the first Mouse-in-Able (MIA-1) mission aboa...
On a 12-day Russian biosatellite flight, seven silkworm varieties spun silk, built cocoons, mated and laid eggs; some developmental stages occurred 2-3 days faster than ground controlsChinese silkworms have successfully navigated their life cycle during an impressive twelve-day mission in space. Notably, their eggs hatche...
In 1951, two female stray dogs named Dezik and Tsygan became the first mammals to successfully cross the border of space and return aliveIn 1951, two female stray dogs named Dezik and Tsygan became the first mammals to successfully cross the border of space and return alive. ...
In 1950, a live and unanaesthetized mouse was sent to the upper atmosphere in a V-2 rocket to test biological responses and capture physiological data and imagery during the flightIn 1950, a live and unanaesthetized mouse was sent to the upper atmosphere in a V-2 rocket to test biological responses and capture physiol...
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 ...
In 1948, a male rhesus monkey named Albert was launched on a V-2 rocket by the US towards space but the mission failed and the animal did not survive the flightIn 1948, a male rhesus monkey named Albert was launched on a V-2 rocket by the US towards space in an early animal flight test. Albert I re...
In 1967, NASA flew flour beetle pupae on Biosatellite II for 45 hours; radiation and weightlessness raised wing abnormalities in flight from 29.9% to 44.8%During the 1967 Biosatellite II mission, flour beetles displayed notable wing deformities, underscoring how weightlessness amplified the ad...
In 1947, the military sent fruit flies 67 miles into space to test radiation risks. 11 years later, NASA was founded in 1958, with animal flights underway in America now1947 mission was part of a larger American effort to understand whether living organisms could survive the journey into space. Beginning in...
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 ...
In 1998, NASA flew crickets on Neurolab to study how spaceflight affects developing nervous systems; across the 16-day mission, they joined about 2,000 animals in spaceDuring the Neurolab mission, the space shuttle Columbia hosted 2,000 animals, crickets being one of them, to examine spaceflight's impacts ...
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...
A 1.5-pound squirrel monkey named Goliath was launched into space in 1961; 35 seconds later, his Atlas E rocket was destroyedIn an unfortunate chapter of space exploration, a squirrel monkey named Goliath found himself amidst America's fierce space race. His ill-f...
In 1952, Patricia and Mike rode an Aerobee 36 miles up at 2,000 mph; both monkeys returned safely after scientists compared seated and prone acceleration effectsIn 1952, two Philippine monkeys named Patricia and Mike embarked on a historic journey aboard a rocket. Scientists sought to understand how...