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EXPEDITION SPACE LAB MISSION:

Insects in Space

1 Activity: Select one or more of the activities below to complete this mission!

Activity 1

Space Station Explorers Partner Program:

Orion's Quest

Learn about the life cycle of an insect and how it is affected by microgravity.
Students replicate experiments performed in space and compare their results, allowing them to participate in real science to examine the effects of microgravity.

Lesson

Butterflies in Space from Orion's Quest
On Earth, many insects go through metamorphosis. But what happens to these organisms in a microgravity environment? Explore the life cycle of an earthbound butterfly and compare the results with those of their space-faring counterparts.

Additional Resources

Butterfly Metamorphosis

ScienceCasts: Fruit Flies on the International
Space Station

Career Connection

Entomologist

Speaker’s Bureau

Take this mission to another level!

DreamUp Germs in Space Kit
Purchase a Germs in Space DreamKit.
Classroom experiments that use swabs and petri dishes to compare germs in the classroom vs. on the ISS.

Expedition Space Lab is an online tool from the International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory that provides educators with easy access to ISS-related lessons, activities, and other resources to integrate into their curriculum.