Ladybirds in Space 
                     

                                                                     Extract from site link below  


                                                                                                 
LADYBUGS       ON THE SPACE SHUTTLE

                                                    
     

 

 

Our ladybugs were sent into space in 1999 NASA's space shuttle led by Eileen Collins.
Ladybugs and their main food, aphids, were sent to a zero-gravity environment to study how the aphids could get away from the ladybugs without being able to jump using gravity.

Ladybugs and their main food, aphids, were sent to a zero- According to the STS-93 Pilot Jeffrey S. Ashby,
One of the experiments that I do understand well, and is also very interesting, is an experiment that involves aphids and ladybugs.
We are taking a small container with some leaves and aphids, and the ladybugs that are their prime predator.
ladybugs on Earth will climb up a stalk to capture the aphids, and the aphids will use gravity to assist them to fall off of the leaf to escape from the ladybug.
The question is, how will these defense mechanisms work in the absence of gravity, and what will happen to the relationship between predator and prey?
One of the things that extra time has allowed us to do is to come up with names for
the four ladybugs that we have.
I think they have been very appropriately named after The Beatles: John, Paul, Ringo, and George.

 

 

 

 

 



Results of the Experiment:

Upon completion of the mission, it was determined that the ladybugs survived
and did eat the aphids while in a microgravity environment.

Ladybugs do very well in space!
Shuttle experiment:
From the LEO program, Launching Education into Orbit.