Mission STS-126 (Launched November 14, 2008) Sponsored by National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI)

In an experiment funded by the National Space Biomedical Research Institute, and conducted by Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) and BioServe Space Technologies, Vanessa cardui (Painted Lady) butterfly larvae and two orb spiders were launched on November 14, 2008, on the Space Shuttle Endeavor. The organisms were transferred to the International Space Station (ISS), where they remained until their habitats were returned to Earth on March 28, 2009, on Space Shuttle Discovery, as part of STS-119.

The organisms lived in space for several months. They were monitored continually, with photos and video transmitted hourly to the BCM and BioServe teams on Earth. The butterfly larvae progressed until the pupal stage, but did not develop further. The spiders lived in space for more than two more months, until they died a natural death caused by common parasites. We invite you and your students to join us in a new space life sciences flight experiment conducted aboard the ISS, and to perform corresponding butterfly investigations in your own classrooms Photos of the spiders and butterflies from the previous experiment are posted below.

Follow the current "butterflynauts"
on Facebook and Twitter

Click here to download the entire free Butterflies in Space Teacher's Guide and to register your classes for updates about the mission.

Teacher Discussion