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Critters In Space

Hundreds of spinning crickets, rats scurrying up and down stairs and blindfolded astronauts turning round and round might sound like NASA's worst nightmare. But it's just a normal day on the space shuttle Columbia.

Columbia took off on April 17. On board were lots of creepy, crawly critters--1,514 crickets, 233 fish, 152 rats, 135 snails, 18 mice--and seven astronauts. Their spinning and scurrying are part of 26 experiments being done on the two-week mission. Their goal, says NASA, is "to conduct research that will contribute to a better understanding of the human nervous system."

The nervous system is made up of the brain, spinal cord, nerves and sensory organs. Experiments in space will help researchers on Earth understand brain and muscle development, motion sickness, balance problems and loss of memory. "These experiments are going to answer very important questions," says NASA's Louis Ostrach.

The experiments will also show how living creatures function in low gravity. Thanks to Columbia's animal astronauts, NASA may one day be able to maintain a station on the moon or send humans to faraway planets!

Next: A Winged Remembrance