Exploring the Lives of Spiders in Space: Surprising Discoveries
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Chapter 1: The Unexpected Journey of Spiders in Space
Surprisingly, spiders sent to the International Space Station (ISS) appear to be quite discontent with their new environment. Even the abundance of fruit flies they receive does little to alleviate their confusion.
Though one spider did escape its enclosure on the ISS, a widespread "space spider apocalypse" was fortunately averted. This peculiar research initiative began with NASA's first experiments involving spiders in the 1970s, and by 2008, it seemed logical to engage high school students in science through arachnid-based studies. However, things took a turn when one spider managed to escape its designated area.
As is often the case in science, what could have been dismissed as a simple error evolved into a fascinating series of experiments that yielded unexpected insights.
Section 1.1: The Scientific Method and Spiders
The experiment's premise was straightforward: a pair of spiders would inhabit the ISS, allowing researchers to observe how they adapted to a microgravity environment.
In contrast to the spiders, mice sent to the ISS quickly adapted and even created their own games. Spiders, however, displayed a markedly different response.
Spiders typically construct asymmetrical webs, positioning the center closer to the upper edge than the middle. This design aids them in hunting, as gravity assists their swift movements toward prey caught in the web. In the absence of gravity, however, spiders found themselves disoriented.
Section 1.2: The Shawshank Webdemption
A pair of spiders, including the primary subject, a Metepeira labyrinthea, and a backup, a Larinioides patagiatus, were launched into space. The backup spider, perhaps dissatisfied with its role, escaped confinement and entered the primary chamber. Astronauts could not separate the two due to safety protocols, leading to chaotic web construction as the arachnids interfered with one another.
Additionally, the fruit flies intended as food for the spiders began reproducing at an alarming rate, ultimately overwhelming their environment. Larvae crawled out of their container, invading the chamber and obscuring the astronauts' view of the spiders and their webs.
Chapter 2: Learning from Past Mistakes
A follow-up experiment in 2011 aimed to build on the lessons learned from the 2008 study.
In this new study, four golden silk orb weavers, known as Trichonephila clavipes, were sent to the ISS, housed in separate chambers to prevent further escape attempts. Two additional spiders were kept as a control group on Earth under identical conditions, with the exception of gravity.
Issues arose when two spiders, initially thought to be female, were identified as male. Fortunately, the final arrangement included one male and one female in both environments.
Three cameras captured images of the spiders every five minutes as they constructed their webs. After analyzing 14,500 images, researchers noted that webs created in space were often chaotic and irregular compared to those built on Earth. Interestingly, while the majority of webs in microgravity were less asymmetrical, the presence of light influenced the spiders' web design.
Researchers discovered that spiders could use light as a directional cue, which helped them orient themselves in the absence of gravity. This revelation was unexpected, as it was previously assumed that spiders relied solely on gravity for web construction.
The pioneering experiment involving spiders in space began with high school student Judith Miles in 1973, as part of the NASA Skylab Student Experiment Competition. As we continue to explore the cosmos and consider sending more animals into space, we hope future creatures have a more enjoyable experience than the spiders in the earlier experiments.
James Maynard is the founder and publisher of The Cosmic Companion, currently residing in Tucson with his wife, Nicole, and their cat, Max.
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