Why Do They Use Cockroaches for Space Travel?

Animals have been launched into space since the early days of space travel. Animal space travel started out with dogs and monkeys to make sure humans could survive a trip into space. Now it is very common to see different types of animals, including cockroaches, make trips into space. The biggest reason for cockroaches to travel into space is to be used as a test subject in different scientific studies.

  1. Reproduction Studies

    • Cockroaches were used by Russian scientists to study the effects of long-term space travel on a cockroach's reproduction cycle. There have been plans discussed by different nations to send a craft or a space station to Mars and other planets with humans on it. Humans traveling for long distances in space would not be possible if the reproduction process is disturbed. By testing the process in other organisms, scientists can start to theorize what it would do to humans in the same situation.

    Embryo Development

    • Not only did Russian scientists want to know what the long-term effects of space travel are on reproduction, they also wanted to know what would happen to embryos conceived in space. If humans ever traveled in space for long periods of time, scientists need to know if the development process of embryos is different. A cockroach the Russian's named "Hope " got pregnant in space. The study conducted in 2007 did show some differences to the cockroaches conceived in space compared to cockroaches conceived on Earth.

    Physical Qualities

    • There are a couple of different reasons why the Russians chose cockroaches over other organisms for their studies on reproduction. The first major reason is that cockroaches are known to be able to handle different environments and situations. They can live for a long time in harsh conditions, and can go for long periods without food. Also, their embryos develop rapidly and birth quickly follows, letting scientists see results quickly without cockroaches spending long amounts of time in space.

    To Test Cockroach Survival Skills

    • Not all the studies conducted on cockroaches in space came from Russian scientists. In 2009, a group of students from the University of California, San Diego, launched cockroaches into space, or near space, in a high-altitude balloon. The cockroaches were placed in different capsules, and the goal of the students was to see how cockroaches would survive in different extreme environments. The cockroaches all ended up surviving, showing the students just how tough and adaptable to extreme conditions cockroaches are.