Butterflies in Space Project Provides Students With Real-Time Research Opportunity

On Nov. 16, 2009, Painted Lady butterflies will fly aboard space shuttle Atlantis to the International Space Station. The butterflies will spend several months in space as part of an exciting experiment to observe their life cycles and behaviors in microgravity. And your class is invited to participate.

The butterflies will live in a special habitat, which provides a safe environment, food and water. Photos and video will be transmitted back to Earth and made available on the BioEd Online and K8 Science Web sites. Students can view the data and join in the investigation in real time.

Teachers are also encouraged to engage their students in concurrent activities with their own butterflies. Everything needed to get started is available on BioEd Online or K8 Science. A free teacher's guide is also available for downloading.

For additional information, visit http://www.bioedonline.org/space/STS_Mission_129.cfm and http://www.k8science.org/space/STS_Mission_129.cfm