‘Mousetronauts’ Set To Fly To International Space Station This Week

A group of 20 mice are set to blast off to the International Space Station this week aboard a SpaceX supply rocket.

Due to launch into orbit on 8 April on a SpaceX Dragon cargo ship, the mice will be used to help investigations into the physical health of astronauts on long-term space missions to Mars and beyond.

The intrepid rodents will be used to test whether certain drugs might prevent muscle or bone loss in microgravity - a common complaint for astronauts, especially those on long-duration missions.

The research could also help suffers of various bone- and muscle-wasting diseases back on Earth.

The investigation - dubbed Rodent Research-3-Eli Lilly - will use mice as stand-ins for humans. Depending on the results, the drugs could later be used in human trials and could even be used for future space missions to maintain crew members’ physical health.

‘Mousetronaut’ features in a series of children’s books (Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books)

Mice have been used in space-based experiments for decades, with the first launching as far back as the 1950s.

The ‘Mousetronaut’ character has also made an appearance in a series of children’s books co-written by astronaut Mark Kelly.

The retired NASA Commander formed the Earth-based half of the ‘Year in Space’ study while his twin brother and NASA astronaut Scott Kelly spent 12 months aboard the ISS.

Unlike the smiling rodent astronaut in Kelly’s books, the new batch of mice will be euthanized and dissected at the end of the experiment, after which, tissue samples will be returned to Earth for analysis.

Image credit: NASA