Bobtail Squid In Space

Inside the Space Life Sciences Laboratory at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, bobtail squid are part of preparations on May 20, 2021, for the Understanding of Microgravity on Animal-Microbe Interactions (UMAMI) experiment launched to the International Space Station aboard SpaceX’s 22nd Commercial Resupply Services mission.
The experiment will examine the effects of spaceflight on the molecular and chemical interactions between beneficial microbes and their animal hosts. Amimals, including humans, rely on microbes to maintain a healthy digestive and immune system. UMAMI is one of several experiments bound for the space station in the Dragon capsule atop the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The mission is scheduled to lift off from Launch Complex 39A on June 3.

Photo credit: NASA/Isaac Watson Larger image