Transcript for April 4, 2006 Chat with

Kevin Sato
Payload Scientist
NASA Space Life Sciences Operations
NASA Ames Research Center

Quest_Moderator: Kevin is ready for your questions now.

Quest_Moderator: Thanks for joining us.

the_debster
<Q>why are you studying flies instead of mice or rats? what advantage do the flies have?
Kevin_Sato
<A>We are studying flies because they are a model system for human biology. The primary advantage is that they have a rapid reproduction rate so that we can get embyos, eggs, and larvae that have only experienced the space flight environment. Also, we can get many specimes of this type returned from space for research. Finally, their genetics are well known so that we can map changes to specific biochemical and genetic mutations are pathways.

victorgd7
<Q>hi mr. sato
Quest_Moderator
<A>Hi Victor, Do you have a question for Kevin? Where do you hail from.

5th_graders_from_Montana
<Q>What did Kevin study in school?
Kevin_Sato
<A>I studied all areas of biology. Also, I studied other areas of science including physics , chemistry, and biochemisty. English was an important part of my education.

ANdyZhen
<Q>are u gonna name the fruit fly?
Kevin_Sato
<A>There will be way too may flies to name. What we will do is label the containers that they will be in so that we can identify each group when the flies return.

victorgd7
<Q>Im from robertson school in Daly City, CA

MLK_Middle_School
<Q>What happens to the flies when they return from space?
Kevin_Sato
<A>That is a key question that we are trying to answer. For past experiments they appeared to be normal upon return, but there was no detailed studies done concerning the fly recovery to the Earth environment.

Daniel
<Q>Will you also be testing the astronauts on the flight to see how their immune systems have been effected?
Kevin_Sato
<A>No, our study only looks at the fly immune system. The research will be compared to human biology in the literature. Other scientists at NASA are studying astronaut immune function.

Quest_Moderator
As you may have noticed, we moderate questions and comments. Your online friends will not see your posting, and I am having to take the time to delete them. Please ONLY post questions to Kevin here.

Mrs._Hoopers_7th_graders
<Q>Exactly how many flies will be flown during the mission?
Kevin_Sato
<A>75 flies will be flown. We will have 5 containers that carry adult flies. Each container will have 10 female flies and 5 male flies. When they come back the containers will have hundreds of larvae, eggs, and embryos that only experience the space flight environment.

deborooni
<Q>when the flies are in space, do they fly normally?
Kevin_Sato
<A>No one has every observed flies fly in space. We don't know how they will be affected. However, the assumption is that it will be OK because the in past experiments they reproduced OK, which required normal behavior including flight.

5th_graders_from_Montana
<Q>How long is the reproductive cycle of the flies?
Kevin_Sato
<A>At 25oC it takes approximately 11 days to go from egg to a hatched new fly. If you reduce the temperature it will take a few days longer and if you increase the temperature it will take a few days less. The development time is temperature dependent.

naaziarox
<Q>im a 7th grader from cali!!

victorgd7
<Q>why have you chosen the fruit fly for your experiment?
Kevin_Sato
<A>Fruit flies are a model system for human biology. Please take a look at the flies in space website for more information.

5th_graders_from_Montana
<Q>How long do the flies stay in space?
Kevin_Sato
<A>The mission for the flies is 12 days and up to 14 days.

Wiliams_School_5th_grade
<Q>Are these the same fruit flies that we see buzzing around fruit in CA?
Kevin_Sato
<A>They are laboratory strains of Drosophila, but they have cousins that you do see flying around here in California.

naaziarox
<Q>are you telling everyone the same stuff???
Quest_Moderator
<A>All of the questions that are not duplicates are being answered by Kevin Sato in this chat room. If you're here, you're seeing what everyone else is seeing.

Susan
<Q>What genetic changes do you anticipate as a result of the flight?
Kevin_Sato
<A>We are keeping an open mind about what genetic changes we might see. One of the studies is to look at all of the genes that are expressed. If we see a change in expression of a gene, it may indicate a mutation. However, a mutation will be very rare.

BetterThanSamsonLam
<Q>What advice would you give for a student that wants to go to outer space someday?
Kevin_Sato
<A>Stay in school and receive a college education. You can also look at the JSC website, which has a link to what is needed to be an astronaut. But, the key your education.

MonK3ysRok_
<Q>why did you pick this job?
Kevin_Sato
<A>I really love space flight and it allowed me to combine my space interest with my biology insterest. Also, I was going to be able to be a part of many different areas of research and help other scientists to reach their goal of doing space flight research.

Zarawazhere
  <Q>How many flies are there exactly? You mentioned there were alot.
Quest_Moderator
<A>Check the answers above. Mr. Sato said 75.

Zarawazhere
<Q>Have you sent flies to space before?
Kevin_Sato
<A>There have been 2 previous research studies of flies in space. In fact, the fly cassettes that w are using are based on the cassettes used for these past studies.

SamsonLam
 <Q>How many time have you set flies to space
Kevin_Sato
<A>NASA with the European Space Agency has sent flies into space 2 previous times. During the Mercury space flight program, it was thought that a fly had been in one of the capsules at launch.

MonK3ysRok_
<Q>what do fruit flys look like/
Quest_Moderator
<A>To find out about the fruit flies, see the website: http://quest.nasa.gov/projects/flies

hewlett_yaks
<Q>mr. sato, where are you from and where did you go to school?
Kevin_Sato
<A>I grew up in the SF bay area, and Los Altos High. For my undergraduate studies I went to UCLA followed by UCI for my PH.D. I was at the Scripps Research Institute for my post-doctoral fellowship.

paula_carina__
<Q>what if they happen to die when u guys come back?
Kevin_Sato
<A>The adult flies may be dead, but the eggs and larvae should be OK. If they come back dead, we will evaluate all environmental factors to determine if it was space flight or non-spaceflight factors.

ajit_kumar
<Q>i am interested in nasa so please send information
Quest_Moderator
<A>The best thing to do is to go to the nasa website: http://www.nasa.gov
You can also write to kids-ask-nasa@quest.nasa.gov

paula_carina_
<Q>what kind of flies did u sent to space?
Kevin_Sato
<A>Drosophila melanogaster was sent into space. This is the laboratory strain.

Susan
<Q>Once the flies and new larvae are back on Earth, how long the the experiment continue. I assume they will be kept in isolation for some time.
Kevin_Sato
<A>The immediate post-flight processing at Kennedy Space Center SLS Lab will be 10 days. The PI and Co-I will continue their research for months to years afterwards.

naaziarox
<Q>what do the flies eat in space?
Kevin_Sato
<A>They will eat a food that consists of glucose, yeast, protein extract, and sucrose.

hewlett_yaks
<Q>mr. sato, are you now in california, or are you in houston preparing for the flight?
Kevin_Sato
<A>I am in California. We won't go to KSC until a few weeks before flight to prepare the equipment and flies for loading onto the Space Shuttle.

Mike
<Q>Is there a way to simulate microgravity on earth?
Kevin_Sato
<A>Yes, there are many ways to simulate microgravity. Some include rotating vessels that keep the specimens in in suspension. Also, there are other methods for humans, which include bed rest for long durations or floating in a gel based material.

Lauren
<Q>Since the flies are so small and delicate, how do they survive the strong g forces of launching?
Kevin_Sato
<A>The bodies of the flies are built to withstand pressure. The chitin shell around them help them to not be crushed. Also, the g force at launch is only around 2.5 to 3xg, which is no more than most roller coaster rides.

paula_carina
<Q>what's the most intresting aspect in your job?
Kevin_Sato
<A>Working my colleagues and the varied subject matters every day. This includes engineering, science, and project management. Finally, the work at the time of flight which involves working at Kennedy Space Center.

hewlett_yaks
<Q>dr. sato, how many of the crew will participate in the experiments (to assist you)?
Kevin_Sato
<A>Only one crew member will run the experiment for us in space. He is Thomas Reiter, who will is traveling on the Space Shuttle to work on the International Space Station.

MonK3ysRok_
<Q>are the fruit flys the same size as the regular flys?
Kevin_Sato
<A>The fruit flies are much smaller than the house fly.

hewlett_yaks
<Q>mr. sato, where will the experiments be conducted (space shuttle, iss or both)?
Kevin_Sato
<A>The experiment will be conducted on the Middeck on the Space Shuttle only

alexander_mayer_germany
<Q>The drosophila is known for the quick reproduction and for its mutations. How are these factors ?influenced/or not, by the lack of gravity ? What can be deduced from these findings? ?
Kevin_Sato
<A>This is a major questions that we would like to answer. For this study, we are not going to be studying a specific mutation because we want to get a basic understanding of the effects of space flight on the immune system. Once we have this information, it will help direct future research studies with mutant strains.

deborooni
Q>what if the flies escape into the space shuttle?
Kevin_Sato
<A>This was an important safety question that needed to be answered before Johnson Space Center Safety Panel approved our experiment. We have 2 levels of containment that will block any escape.

.hewlett_yaks
<Q>dr. sato, we thought you were also going into space. is that not true?
Kevin_Sato
<A>No, I won't be going into space, although I would love to go. We have well trained and qualified astronauts who conduct our experiments in space for us. I will be at KSC to assist the scientists in preparing the experiment for flight and processing the flies and larvae when they return.

Quest_Moderator
Many of the questions we are receiving are answered on the Flies in Space website. See http://quest.nasa.gov/projects/flies

hewlett_yaks
<Q>mr. sato, do you have gravity generators on the iss to test the flies when they are not floating?
Kevin_Sato
<A>For this experiment we will not be using testing this. If we were going to do this, we would use a centrifuge, similar to ones in a lab, to create a 1xg environment. For other experiments, there have been small centrifuges that where the container with the specimens have been housed. These have been spun so that Ixg is created. This is an in-flight 1xg control for microgravity.

victorgd7
<Q>will your launch be on t.v.
Kevin_Sato
<A>Yes... CNN and NASA select broadcast the launch. Currently, our launch is July 1, 2006. Check the NASA website and Spaceflightnow.com for more information on the launch.

MonK3ysRok_
<Q>will you visit schools and tell them about fruit flies in our area?
Quest_Moderator
<A>Where are you from?
naaziarox
<Q>Daly City, California

MonK3ysRok_
<Q>will you visit schools and tell them about fruit flies in our area?
Kevin_Sato
<A>This is something that we are considering.

Zarawazhere
<Q>Have there been other animals or insects to go to space yet?
Kevin_Sato
<A>Yes, apes, monkies, spiders, fish, rats mice, crickets, newts, frogs, beetles, bacteria, yeast, C. elegans, bees, jellyfish, and many more.

MonK3ysRok_
<Q>have you ever been in space befor? why or why not?
Kevin_Sato
<A>No I've never been in space. I have never applied to be an astronaut.

victorgd7
<Q>will the flies be alive when they come back from space?
Kevin_Sato
<A>They should be... the duration of the mission is well within their life span

SamsonLam
<Q>Will the flies be kept in containers the entire flight?
Kevin_Sato
<A>Yes they will not be removed. But the eggs and larvae on the food tray will be transfered to a new empty cassette and the flies will then be refed.

MonK3ysRok_
<Q>can the flys harm you?
Kevin_Sato
<A>No, the flies are harmless.

ANdyZhen
<Q>Why have you chosen to be a space man?
Kevin_Sato
<A>I'm not an astronaut, but I am very interested in research that will help astronauts to stay healthy in space.

Quest_Moderator
We have lots of questions holding in the queue for answers. We will do our best to answer them in the archive. Come back later today. Right now we are moving to the Spanish website for the chat in Spanish.

BetterThanSamsonLam
<Q>Is possible that flies can fly in space?
Kevin_Sato
<A>In fact, the flies will fly in space.

Kevin_Sato
It's been great chatting with all of you. You're question have been excellent. I'm now moving to the Spanish website.

-------------------------------------------

.Return after Spanish chat:

hewlett_yaks
<Q>mr. sato, what type of experiments will you conduct on the flies in microgravity.
Kevin_Sato
<A>Our scientist will look at how the immune system of the flies were affected by space flight when the specimens return from space. They will examine the eggs, embryos, larvae, and adult flies. The adult flies and larvae will be infected with fungus and bacteria to test their ability to defend against infection. Also, gene expresssion will be studied, as well as tissue morphology and the ability of the hemocytes to phagocytose the bacteria.

SamsonLam
<Q>Will the flies be kept in containers the entire flight?
Kevin_Sato
<A>Yes, they will be kept in the container at all times. But, the eggs and larvae will be transfered to a new fly container when the adult flies are refed with a new food-filled food tray.

MonK3ysRok_
<Q>where can you find those kind of flys?
Kevin_Sato
<A>Most scientists receive their flies from colleagues at different universities. Also, there are stock centers that raise flies and then distribute them to scientists around the world.

MLK_Middle_School
<Q>How can the flies' genes be close to human when they look so different?
Kevin_Sato
<A>Although flies share many of the same genes as humans, they do not have all of the same genes. Flies do have different genes from humans, which is what makes them flies.

victorgd7
<Q>how long could the fruit fly survive in space?
Kevin_Sato
<A>There is no reason that they flies could not survive in a spacecraft for their full life span, if food, air, and temperature conditions are normal. There is some indications from other species, such as C. elegans (worms), that the life span may actually be different. I don't recall, but for worms, the life span either increased or decreased.

BetterThanSamsonLam
<Q>Is possible that flies can fly in space?
Kevin_Sato
<A>Yes, in the space craft environment, the flies do fly around their containers. How well they fly and whether there is a short time when they have to adapt to microgravity is not understood. No research has been done to look at this aspect of fly behavior.

Lisa_M
<Q>How did you become interested in this job?
Quest_Moderator
<A>Please see Kevin's bio that is online at: http://quest.nasa.gov/people/bios/space/sato.html

College_student
<Q>What are major differences between human and fruit fly immune systems, and how are these differences being accounted for in the experiment design?
Kevin_Sato
<A>The major difference between fly and humans is that flies do not have an adaptive immune system. Flies use an innate system that combats infections using hemocytes (similar to macrophages) and antimicrobial peptides that are narrow and broad spectrum. The primary similarity are with the phagocytes and signalling pathways that active the innate immune systems. The genes whose protein products govern these pathways are the same as in humans. Please see the "Ask an Expert" link of the Flies in Space website for more information.

Quest_Moderator
That URL is http://quest.nasa.gov/projects/flies/expert.php

naaziarox
<Q>what r embyos
Kevin_Sato
<A>The embryo is the fly while it is still developing in the egg. Once it hatches, it is called a larva.

Mrs_Mann_s_5th_grade_class
<Q>Will there be any other kinds of animals flying on this mission?
Kevin_Sato
<A>Yes, there will be bacteria flying on this mission for an experiment called POEMS. This experiment will be conducted on the Space Shuttle and International Space Station. Also, there are plants that will be traveling to ISS (TROPI).

MonK3ysRok_
<Q>how much food do fruit flys eat?
Kevin_Sato
<A>Good question. In general an individual fly eats regularly, but I don't know the exact quantity. Recent research on food and diet using flies discovered that changing the content of the fly food did not change the amount eaten. The amount is based on amount of food before and after. I don't have the data so I can't provide you with information on the quantity. An interesting finding was that the life span of the fly increased based the nutrition level of the food.

Quest_Moderator
Thank you for joining this chat. The archive will be posted later today. And thanks to Kevin Sato for taking the time to answer to all of your questions.

victorgd7
<Q>adios!