Spangenberg DB.
ASGSB Bull. 1992 Oct; 6: 100.
Dept. of Physiology, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk.
Aurelia polyps and ephyrae were flown on shuttle flight SLS-1 for nine days in order to determine the effects of microgravity on ephyra [correction of ephra] formation. Twenty groups of polyps were induced to metamorphose with iodine or thyroxine during pre-flight (L-24h or L-48H) and inflight. Two additional groups of polyps were flown as non-induced controls. Four groups of ephyrae were flown for statolith demineralization studies. Six groups of ephyrae were videotaped in flight and/or on Earth pre- and post-flight. Certain groups were fixed in buffered glutaraldehyde either in-flight or post-flight for ultrastructural studies, especially of graviceptors. Ephyra structures, statoliths, and pulses were counted post-flight as were controls. Living animals were found in all of the groups post-flight. Ephyrae formed in all of the induced groups and in two non-induced groups. Ephyrae swimming in-flight showed a greater tendency to swim in circles than controls. In addition, certain ephyrae which had developed in space pulsed abnormally post-flight. Videotapes of the swimming of in-flight ephyrae [correction of ephrae] will be shown as well as the swimming activity of the same ephyrae videotaped pre- and post-flight. The most significant results of the Jellyfish-in-Space experiment to-date will be presented and discussed.
Publication Types:
Keywords:
- Animals
- Behavior
- Behavior, Animal
- Metamorphosis, Biological
- Scyphozoa
- Swimming
- Weightlessness
- NASA Discipline Developmental Biology
- NASA Discipline Number 00-00
- NASA Discipline Number 40-20
- NASA Program Flight
- NASA Program Space Biology
- Non-NASA Center
Other ID:
UI: 102212820
From Meeting Abstracts