On July 23, 1999, the Space Shuttle Columbia
carried “Ladybugs in Space” into orbit thus beginning
the final phase of the educational program that would lead
to the formation of Orion’s Quest.
Manifested aboard NASA’s STS-93 Mission, the “Ladybugs
in Space” experiment probed the influence of microgravity
on natural biological relationships— a concept important
in considering future space travel and the possible colonization
of distant worlds. The experiment allowed students to observe
the interaction of ladybugs and aphids on growing wheat plants
in orbit and to replicate the experiment in their classroom
as controls. Each day during the mission, students and teachers
could use the Internet to access new images of the interaction
of ladybugs and aphids in space. Students then, along with
NASA scientists, analyzed those images utilizing the same counting
and measurement techniques used in recording the results of
the classroom control experiments. As an integral part of the
program curriculum, students studied the results from the experiment
and were able to test hypotheses about the effects of microgravity
on predator-prey relationships.
Four organizations and six schools made Ladybugs in Space
a success. The Center for Microgravity and Automation
Technology
(CMAT), based at the Environmental Research Institute of
Michigan (ERIM) was the lead organization in developing
the educational
component of the project. Working as a sub contractor to
BioServe Space Technologies, CMAT, developed partnerships
with the educational
community and industry, promoted the use of imaging technologies,
multimedia resources and Internet-based tools to support
new science curricula and developed the protocol for
the classroom
experiment.
Six secondary schools in five states (Michigan, Ohio, Florida,
Texas and Colorado) and one foreign country (Chile) participated
in the Ladybugs in Space Pilot Mission. This represented
approximately two hundred fifty (250) students in grades
6-12
|
