Student Fruit Fly Experiment Arrives At International Space Station | Aero-News Network
Aero-News Network
RSS icon RSS feed
podcast icon MP3 podcast
Subscribe Aero-News e-mail Newsletter Subscribe

Airborne Unlimited -- Most Recent Daily Episodes

Episode Date

Airborne-Monday

Airborne-Tuesday

Airborne-Wednesday Airborne-Thursday

Airborne-Friday

Airborne On YouTube

Airborne-Unlimited-07.07.25

Airborne-NextGen-07.08.25

AirborneUnlimited-07.09.25

Airborne-FlightTraining-07.10.25

AirborneUnlimited-07.11.25

Thu, Sep 25, 2014

Student Fruit Fly Experiment Arrives At International Space Station

Connects Four Organizations To Foster Young Scientists

A student experiment called the Ames student Fruit fly Experiment (AFEx) was successfully launched on SpaceX-4 Dragon from Kennedy Space Center on Sunday, September 21, 2014. The student flight opportunity was attained by the American Society for Gravitational and Space Research, and its organizational sponsor, Science and Technology Corporation (STC), a Virginia corporation headquartered in Hampton, Virginia.

AFEx was flown with NanoRacks, which is working with NASA under a Space Act Agreement for the use of the U.S. National Lab.

Under the scientific guidance of Dr. Sharmilla Bhattacharya and her team at NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California, AFEx, is an experiment designed to study the ability of fruit flies to withstand the conditions of an altered gravitational environment. There have been twelve bachelors and master level students that have worked on this experiment since its inception. The experiment will fly in an enclosed, environmentally controlled 10 by 10 by 15 centimeter NanoRacks Module that will track the flight path of these flies.

The experiment is important because it will tell us how oxidative stress, which is the breakdown of a basic biochemical process in cells, affects the neurobehavior of the fruit fly. For humans, oxidative stress has been implicated in the cause of many diseases, such as cancer and Alzheimer's and has an impact on the body's aging process. The most challenging part of the experiment was designing a high-resolution video system using a single camera and mirrors to capture the rapid and erratic flight path of the fruit flies during day and night cycles (i.e., infrared).  The students were involved in every stage from conceptual design to developing the hardware and software.

NASA has been impressed with what the students have been able to achieve.  "It's amazing how the students have devised such a complex experiment and developed all of the systems to perform the research. NASA is committed to developing the next generation of space biologists, and these students demonstrated that they, indeed, have the 'right stuff' to do research in space," says Sidney Sun, Chief of NASA's Space Biosciences Division.

The experiment is the result of a quadrilateral agreement with between ASGSR, a gravitational science society who fosters young scientists; NanoRacks, LLC, a commercial space service provider; STC, a private company that values investment in the next generation; and NASA's Ames Research Center scientist mentors who believe it is critical to train the next generation of scientists.

(Image provided by the American Society for Gravitational and Space Research. Ames student Fruit-Fly Experiment (AFEx) Team prepares experiment for space launch)

FMI: www.asgsr.org

Advertisement

More News

NTSB Final Report: Aviat A1

Airplane Bounced About 3 Ft Then Touched Back Down And Then, With No Brakes Applied, The Airplane Began Veering To The Left Analysis: The pilot entered the airport traffic pattern >[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (07.08.25)

Aero Linx: British Microlight Aircraft Association (BMAA) The primary focus within all aviation activity is SAFETY. In all aspects of our sport SAFETY must come first, whether it b>[...]

Classic Aero-TV: Fly Corvair’s Reliable Engine Alternative

From SnF25 (YouTube Edition): William Wynne Builds Practical Aircraft Engines on the Corvair Platform Seeking an affordable alternative to the traditional aircraft engine options, >[...]

ANN FAQ: Contributing To Aero-TV

How To Get A Story On Aero-TV News/Feature Programming How do I submit a story idea or lead to Aero-TV? If you would like to submit a story idea or lead, please contact Jim Campbel>[...]

Classic Aero-TV: CiES Fuel-Quantity and e-Throttle Systems Praised

From 2023 (YouTube Edition): Bridge of CiES CiES Inc. is a Bend, Oregon-based designer and manufacturer of modular embedded aircraft systems and sensors. The company’s fuel-l>[...]

blog comments powered by Disqus



Advertisement

Advertisement

Podcasts

Advertisement

© 2007 - 2025 Web Development & Design by Pauli Systems, LC