Scientists from NASA have developed special high-tech cage habitats designed for sending rodents into space to live on the International Space Station. Created by scientists at NASA’a Ames Research Centre in Moffett Field, California, the Rodent Research Facility was made to test the long term effects of microgravity on mammals.
Scientists from NASA have developed special high-tech cage habitats designed for sending rodents into space to live on the International Space Station.
Created by scientists at NASA’s Ames Research Centre in Moffett Field, California, the Rodent Research Facility was made to test the long term effects of microgravity on mammals.
“Because changes occur more frequently in rodents, we can study these changes more effectively.” [NASA]
Since microgravity causes many negative effects on body tissues, long term exposure needs to be studied so that the risks can be minimized for human astronauts.
Doctor Ruth Globus, Rodent Research Project scientist and researcher in the Space Biosciences Division at Ames said the habitats “will enable, for the first time, spaceflight research that takes full advantage of the giant strides in molecular biology made on Earth in recent years. This includes advances in global gene expression analysis technology and a wide variety of novel genetic strains.”
Each of the rodent habitats can have as many as ten mice or six rats living in it, and will provide them with all of the necessities like fresh air, food, and water.
The animals will reportedly be staying in space for around six months, but since rodents age faster than humans, that accounts for a third to a quarter of their lifespan.
