But finally there was a stroke of luck - one of the males was on board the space station, the other on Earth. In the course of the experiment, two of the spiders turned out to be males, which differ markedly in body structure and size from females of this species when fully grown. But another mishap occurred: the spiders had to be chosen for the experiment as juveniles and it is extremely difficult to determine the sex of juvenile animals. The plan was originally to use four females. This time, the experiment started with four spiders of the same species ( Trichonephila clavipes): two flew to the ISS in separate habitats, two stayed on Earth in separate habitats and were kept and observed under identical conditions as their fellows traveling in space - except that they were exposed to terrestrial gravity. Samuel Zschokke of the University of Basel involved to prepare and analyze the new attempt. When the opportunity for a similar experiment on board the ISS cropped up again in 2011, the researcher got Dr. This failure long nagged at Paula Cushing of the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, who participated in the planning of the spider experiment. After a month, the spiders could no longer be seen behind all the fly larvae. ![]() Over time, their larvae crawled out of the breeding container on the floor of the case into the experimental chamber, and after two weeks covered large parts of the front window. The two spiders spun somewhat muddled webs, getting in each other's way.Īnd if that were not enough, the flies included as food reproduced more quickly than expected. The chamber couldn't be opened for safety reasons, so the extra spider could not be recaptured. ![]() The reserve spider managed to break out of its storage chamber and into the main chamber. Two specimens from different spider species flew to the International Space Station (ISS) as "arachnauts," one (Metepeira labyrinthea) as the lead and the other ( Larinioides patagiatus) as a reserve in case the first didn't survive. But even though the question was simple, the planning and execution of the experiment in space was extremely challenging. When resting, spiders sit with their head downwards because they can move towards freshly caught prey faster in the direction of gravity.īut what do arachnids do in zero gravity? In 2008, NASA wanted to inspire middle schools in the US with this experiment. ![]() The question was relatively simple: on Earth, spiders build asymmetrical webs with the center displaced towards the upper edge. The spider experiment by the US space agency NASA is a lesson in the frustrating failures and happy accidents that sometimes lead to unexpected research findings.
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