Worms on the ISS aim to inform long-duration space travel research

About 11,000 pounds of supplies arrived at the ISS aboard Northrop Grumman's Cygnus XL, including a Petri Pod carrying C. elegans worms; the University of Exeter-led experiment will expose the worms to microgravity and space radiation for about 15 weeks while researchers record images and environmental data.

Tiny roundworms and a compact laboratory recently reached the International Space Station to study biological responses in space. The uncrewed Northrop Grumman Cygnus XL delivered roughly 11,000 pounds (4,990 kilograms) of cargo, including a Petri Pod containing C. elegans nematode worms. The experiment, led by the University of Exeter, is designed to observe how living organisms respond to microgravity and space radiation and to collect data relevant to human health on long missions. Researchers will use onboard imaging and environmental sensors to monitor the worms while the unit spends time both inside and outside the station. Key details: - The worms arrived on the ISS on Monday aboard Northrop Grumman's Cygnus XL, which delivered about 11,000 pounds (4,990 kg) of supplies. - The experiment uses C. elegans nematode worms, which measure about 1 millimeter and have transparent bodies useful for cellular observation. - The organisms are housed in a Petri Pod roughly 4 x 11 inches (10 x 30 cm) and weighing about 6 pounds (3 kg); the unit has 12 chambers and four that can be actively imaged. - Each chamber maintains temperature, pressure and a trapped volume of air and supplies food via an agar carrier while supporting miniaturized life support conditions. - The Petri Pod will be mounted on the outside of the ISS so the worms can spend about 15 weeks exposed to zero gravity and space radiation; researchers will collect imaging and environmental data and send it back to Earth. Summary: The study will track how C. elegans survive and adapt to microgravity and radiation to identify biological responses that are relevant to prolonged human spaceflight. Researchers will monitor the worms on the ISS and then expose them outside the station for about 15 weeks while collecting and returning imaging and environmental data for analysis.