The Cosmopolitan aka Painted Lady

[Jack Harrison]

It’s sometimes known as Cosmopolitan due to its (almost) world-wide distribution. But this aims to expand its distribution even further.
From The Times online (space experiments)
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/w ... quote]They [Caenorhabditis elegans worms] will be joined aboard Atlantis by a colony of painted lady butterfly larvae, which are the subjects of a separate experiment, and six astronauts whose key task is to deliver 15 tons of equipment to the International Space Station.[/quote]Jack

[Charles Nicol]

will the caterpillars have to wear special miniature space suits ?

C

[Zonda]

Ha ha ha,,,, the old'''' we can travel in space myth'''', Tut,,what a waste of money... Sometimes i really despair.

[Jack Harrison]

Charles joked:

will the caterpillars have to wear special miniature space suits ?

I wouldn’t want to be the astronaut in charge of the experiment. Just image all those droppings – “floatings” probably a better word – that might get into unexpected places In any case, how will the caterpillars themselves manage with all that frass? They won’t be able to get rid of it in the normal earthly manner. Human astronauts have enough problems in that area themselves. Visit the National Space Centre, Leicester to see how they manage. Kids love it

Jack

[Matsukaze]

Didn't someone enter a picture of a Painted Lady in outer space in one of the photo competitions last winter?

[Zonda]

Aah! Apologies,,apologies for my earlier quip. Just found out that these worm experiments will benefit terrestrial humans with muscle wastage.

[Padfield]

It's been done before (you have to wait till the end):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnPGDWD_oLE

Guy

[Zonda]

I'm a big Homer fan, but i wouldn't do what my sister has done. She has a Simpsons gallery running the whole length of her stairs. That's a University education for ya.