News Archive

Thursday, September 19, 2002 Mars Gravity Biosatellite Project Students from MIT, the University of Washington in Seattle, and the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia are working on the Mars Gravity Biosatellite Project. This project will lift rodents (male and female (some pregnant)) into space for almost a month. While in space they will be aboard a craft that will spin and produce Martian gravity (1/3 Gs). They will also give birth to young that will mature in space. This is the first study of how low gravity affects mammilan development and is the longest rodent mission on record. The mission should give us hints at how humans will fair during a Mars mission and how children born in space or Mars will develop. The mission is slated to go up in 2005. (More info: Space.com) @ 15:40 EST