Washington: Nasa has developed high-tech cages to carry rodents from Earth to the International Space Station to allow researchers to study the long-term effects of microgravity on mammalian physiology.
The Rodent Habitat modules will first fly in August aboard an unmanned SpaceX Dragon cargo ship.
Developed at Nasa’s Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California, the new habitats are designed for transporting the animals to the space station and as part of their long-term accommodation. They consist of a transport module, which fits inside the racks in the pressurised cargo section of the Dragon spacecraft, and an access module for moving the rodents from the transporter to the station's rodent habitat without having the mice escape and take up residence behind the control panels.
Each habitat module provides as many as 10 mice or six rats with all of the basics they need to live comfortably aboard the station including water, food, lighting and fresh air.
Rodents easily can move around the living space by grasping grids that line the floor and walls. The modules include data downlink capability that enables monitoring of environmental conditions such as temperature.
A visible light and infrared video system allows the crew in space and scientists and veterinarians on the ground to monitor behaviour and overall health of the rodents on a daily basis.
