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Drosophila melanogaster (the common fruit fly) have been used to study the effects of spaceflight on living organisms.

Fruit flies were some of the very first sentient beings sent to space. For many years before sending larger mammals such as dogs or humans, scientists studied Drosophila melanogaster (the common fruit fly) and their reactions to both radiation and space flight to understand the possible effects of space and a zero-gravity environment on humans.

Starting in the 1910's, researchers conducted experiments on fruit flies because humans and fruit flies share many genes. In the 1940's, fruit flies became the very first living and sentient organisms to go to space and return, which paved the way for further human exploration. At the height of the Cold War and the Space Race, flies were sent on missions to space frequently so that scientists could study the nature of living and breeding in space. Scientists and researchers from the Soviet Union and the United States used fruit flies for their research and missions.

Fruit flies have been used in recent years as the reality of Mars and moon colonization becomes clearer, and these flies further the understanding of the effects of weightlessness on the cardiovascular system, the immune system, and the genes of astronauts attempting these colonizations. Fruit flies have been invaluable assets to scientific discoveries that humankind have made, especially discoveries about space travel.

Background

STS115 Atlantis looks over outer space

Mankind has long admired the heavens and wondered about space. Even after the Space Race was completed, advancements in space travel have continued. Researchers continue to study the ability of life to survive in the harsh atmosphere of space, promote commercial development, expand and advance knowledge, and prepare future generations for exploration. Throughout time, Animals in space have ensured suitable conditions for human exploration. Larger animals including dogs, monkeys, cats, mice, and others, have been vital to many excursions, as have insects.

The fruit fly has frequently been utilized for space travel, due to its comparable genetics to that of humans. The short gestation period and quick maturing process allows their continued employment. Additionally, a female fruit fly can lay one hundred eggs daily, and each egg will require less than ten days to fully mature. While three-quarters of its genome compares to other organisms, fruit flies frequently proceed humans in space travel because their entire genetic makeup, including the sex chromosomes, have been sequenced by scientists.

Biographical profile

Fruit flies are the most important species in developing understanding of the animal kingdom. When scientists initially began studying chromosomal inheritance, they were drawn to fruit flies for their short generational lifespan, and the visibility of their outward characteristics. Flies have also been used because of their genetic makeup that resembles that of humans, and the visibility of chromosomes to be seen with only the aid of a low powered microscope.

Procreation, behavior, stress, biorhythm, body composition, gravitation preference, and cell cultures of fruit flies, are other characteristics which proved crucial to the progression of genetic research.

History

Pre-1930

Scientists began using fruit flies for research as early as 1915. A "fly room" was soon after created at the University of Columbia, dedicated and reserved to all the research being conducted on flies.

1930's

In 1933 Thomas Hunt Morgan won a Nobel Prize for his research in medicine using flies.

In 1935, Albert William Stevens and Orvil Arson Anderson ascended to 72,395 feet in a special balloon aircraft, and they carried fruit flies on their flight with them.

1940's

In 1947, the United States sent a rocket containing fruit flies into space to study the effects of radiation on living organisms and to see if the radiation from space would be a potential problem for future astronauts. The flight lasted a total of three minutes and all the flies returned to Earth untouched by radiation. These flies paved the way for space-bound monkeys in 1948, dogs in 1957, and eventually humans in 1961.

1950's

In February 1953, the United States launched several unmanned balloons containing fruit flies in several experiments. Most of the flies died or were never recovered, but twelve flies survived one flight on February 26, 1953. In February 1956, an unmanned balloon carrying mice, guinea pigs, a fungi sample, and some fruit flies reached the altitude of 115,000 feet, after which all the animals were recovered alive. In July 1958, the United States Navy launched Malcom David Ross, Morton Lee Lewis, and fruit flies in a manned high-altitude balloon to 82,000 feet. This was the first flight that reached the stratosphere where the cabin of the balloon mimicked the pressurized conditions found at a sea-level environment.

1960's

In 1968, scientists found that fruit fly larva exposed to both radiation and space flight had a higher rate of premature death compared to fruit flies that were only exposed to radiation or fruit flies that only went to space. The same study showed that the flies exposed to both radiation and space flight also experienced accelerated aging and genetic mutations. A different 1968 study with the same general premise of exposing fruit flies to both pre-flight radiation and space flight showed that flies exposed to both had significant damage to their sperm, as opposed to flies exposed to only one or the other.

1970's

A 1978 publication included several key findings that were critical for scientists studying fruit flies sent into space. First, fruit flies who were born and spent their first few days in space had a shorter lifespan than earth-bound flies. Second, the development process of flies born in space and living flies sent to space was regular. Third, the wings of flies that were sent to space were either physically damaged (most likely due to the nature of the takeoff and landing of the shuttle and not because of the micro-gravitational environment) or genetically damaged, since flies born in space did not produce as much glycogen in their wings, which inhibited their ability to fly.

1980's

In 1981, Soviet scientists concluded that flies that were exposed to radiation before they were sent into orbit were far more likely to have offspring that exhibited genetic mutations than fruit flies that were only exposed to radiation or fruit flies that were only sent to space.

1990's

In 1997, researchers sent fruit flies into space for eight days and mated them with earthbound fruit flies upon their return. They then produced male fruit flies that were three times as likely to carry lethal mutations on the Y-chromosome. These researchers suggested that the mutations were a result of the radiation found in space.

2000's

A 2006 study found that fruit flies born in space were more vulnerable and susceptible to illness, and had a far weaker immune system compared to fruit flies born on Earth. This study confirmed to scientists that any plans for moon or Mars colonization would need to include countermeasures to boost astronauts' immune systems against infections like sepsis.

2010's

In 2012, Dr. Richard Hill used a powerful magnet that simulated a zero-gravity experience to study the effect on fruit flies. Hill found that the flies' speed increased, and that instead of floating, the flies moved in a motion similar to walking. The effect of weightlessness on fruit flies that Dr. Hill studied can give researchers valuable insights to the effects of weightlessness on humans, since humans and fruit flies have very similar genes. In 2015, scientists from the Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute found that fruit flies sent to space experienced changes in their genes that controlled their hearts and other cardiovascular structures. In 2017, the same scientists sent 30 live fruit flies with 2,000 fruit fly eggs to further research the effects of zero-gravity on the heart and cardiovascular system. They found that the hearts of fruit flies that lived in space for several weeks were anatomically different from the hearts of earthbound fruit flies. From this study, scientists concluded that plans for moon or Mars colonization would also have to include specific plans to protect astronauts' hearts.

Post 2020 - Modern Research

Based on the past research stating the dangerous consequences of space travel on blood flow and heart health, current research is being conducted. With time, research specialists hope to find results to combat these negative side effects and promote safe space travel.