What would a Monarch Butterfly look like floating in outer space?

LJWorld.com weblogs Linda's Backroad Musings

Posted by Linda Hanney November 13, 2009 at 12:11 a.m.

What would a Monarch Butterfly look like floating in outer space?

Monarch butterflies like to travel. Thanks to Monarch Watch, Chip, Jim, Ann, Jackie, the Critter Crew (student hourly employees), and volunteers from the community the beautiful creatures will soon be taking it to a new level. Space.

Recently, Chip, a friend and neighbor, knocked on our door with the Sunday paper but no time for a chat. He said he was putting in long hours preparing for sending Monarch butterflies into space and the unbelievable response of 425 schools to participate in a science project along with the space shuttle crew. He left that morning with my name on the volunteer list.

Here are my feelings about working with the Monarch program the past two days.

First, the dedication of Chip and his staff to young people. Rather than turn away schools too late for the initial call for 20, they are sending the experiment to all 425. Yes, that many schools were interested enough to pay for the kit plus overnight delivery. Monarch Watch and Kansas University could touch the lives of nearly 8,000 children directly not to mention their families and others who will follow the butterfly story in the media.

The Space project would not be possible without the artificial diet developed by the Monarch Watch lab. These diet containers are being prepared for shipment to the shuttle launch site.

butterfly_diet.jpg

The timing of the Monarch stages of development for study in the nearly weightless environment sounds hard enough but then factor in possible delays in launch time. From what I overheard, it all came together with a lot of lost sleep.

Finally, the most impressive part for me is that all 425 classrooms are receiving exactly the same size caterpillars and diet food as is going into space. Then, by way of the Monarchs in Space site, there will be interaction with other schools and the experts. What if there might be interaction with the astronauts?

What an exciting science program especially for a whole bunch of children. That can only be a good thing.

http://media.lawrence.com/img/blogs/e... Box contains Monarch caterpillars headed for the shuttle launch.

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AreUNorml (anonymous) says…

look at all the babes there in the butterfly department. I suddenly have an incredible urge to love butterflies.
November 13, 2009 at 7:57 a.m.
RoeDapple (anonymous) says…

http://roberthood.net/blog/wp-content...
November 13, 2009 at 12:31 p.m.
Irish (Leslie Swearingen) says…

Hey, Roe, is that Mothra? Loved the movie.
November 13, 2009 at 3:22 p.m.
liggyon (David Lignell) says…

I wonder if they wouldn't mind taking some of our dirty laundry up there? At some point, now that we've confirmed water on the moon, they'll need how to do dirty laundry so that laundry mats can exist along with the moon suburbs. Yes, I would like to volunteer my dirty laundry for a moon cleaning. Wait a minute...this was about butterflies. Can someone start a blog about moon laundry?
November 15, 2009 at 9:39 a.m.