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Buuuugs iiiin Spaaaace!
18 years ago
See, bugs really WILL be in space in colonies before we are - only, from Earth, not as alien inaders!
http://www.bigelowaerospace.com/lif.....e_in_a_box.php
Though, I'm pretty sure there've been some NASA colonial insect studies before now, these guys are pretty much guaranteed a 1 way trip, and Bigelow is hoping they'll be there for -years-, self sustaining in a minimal environment.
*Bill Plimpton's 'Mutant Aliens', anyone?*
One thing about arthropods in Zero-G - all that crud about supporting one's weight over a certain scale goes (almost) out the window. Circulation of oxygen via largely passive systems is still a problem - there's also the problem that buggies will still have mass, regardless of weight, so stopping after getting a good speed down a lift tube will still make for splashy-crunchy bugs if they're over a certain size.
http://www.bigelowaerospace.com/lif.....e_in_a_box.php
Though, I'm pretty sure there've been some NASA colonial insect studies before now, these guys are pretty much guaranteed a 1 way trip, and Bigelow is hoping they'll be there for -years-, self sustaining in a minimal environment.
*Bill Plimpton's 'Mutant Aliens', anyone?*
One thing about arthropods in Zero-G - all that crud about supporting one's weight over a certain scale goes (almost) out the window. Circulation of oxygen via largely passive systems is still a problem - there's also the problem that buggies will still have mass, regardless of weight, so stopping after getting a good speed down a lift tube will still make for splashy-crunchy bugs if they're over a certain size.
There's a lotta loose and dropped threads they hint at, and for a space-capable/proven company, their website is pretty groantastic in bad puns, bubble headed presentation and lack of any real science of what they're doing.
But - they're launching, making 'progress' and producing essentially the first workable 'Transhab' modules that we nearly went with to expand the ISS early on.
There's some really bizarre politics over what happened to Transhab btw, and after Congress killed the concept, all the data, designwork, and even some of the technicians were bought and/or scooped up as an exclusive by Bigelow.
Little bugged at tax dollars going to private firms as a monopoly, but they paid NASA, and if they can make it work, I'm still for it.