NASA will send squid and water bears to the International Space Station
More than 100 baby squid and 5000 other microscopic animals will be launched at the International Space Station on Thursday.
The creatures, along with equipment for experiments, will be headed to the International Space Station in the "Space X's Falcon 9" rocket. It is hoped that the experiments will help scientists understand the effects of space flight.
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The launch will be broadcast live by NASA at 19:29 p.m. Thursday
"Animals, including humans, rely on our microbes to maintain a healthy digestive and immune system. "We do not fully understand how space flight alters these beneficial interactions." said Jamie Foster, lead researcher on the experiment.
128 squid were selected for this experiment because they have a similar immune system to humans, and studying how they respond to space flight could provide information on how to develop safeguards to protect astronauts' health during long space missions.
The space trip is also joined by 5.000 tardigrades, also known as water bears. These impressive creatures can survive in harsher environments than most other living organisms, making them ideal for studying how life responds and adapts to extreme environments.
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"One of the things we really want to understand is how tardigrades survive and reproduce in these environments and whether we can learn something about the tricks they use and adapt to protect astronauts."said Thomas Butby, who is also a researcher BBC.
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