S****r
发帖数: 260 | 1 http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/50071912/ns/technology_and_science-
All hail the queen: Space-flown spider Nefertiti dies in museum
She survived space station trip, but dies days after going on public display
at Smithsonian
The Smithsonian's exhibition of the first jumping spider to survive the trip
to space has turned out to be short lived: The arachnid astronaut died just
days after going on display.
"It is with sadness that we announce the death of Nefertiti, the 'spidernaut
,'" the staff at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural
History in Washington, D.C. wrote on Facebook Monday.
The "Johnson Jumper" ("Phidippus johnsoni") spider was launched to the
International Space Station (ISS) in July as the subject of a student-
initiated science experiment. Part of YouTube Space Lab, an online video
contest, the spider's spaceflight was the idea submitted by 18-year old Amr
Mohamed from Alexandria, Egypt.
Living aboard the orbiting laboratory for 100 days, Nefertiti, named in
honor of Egypt's ancient queen, demonstrated that that its species was able
to adapt its feeding behavior to account for the effects of weightlessness
and still catch its prey. It then successfully readjusted to gravity, after
its return to Earth in October.
ts space mission over, Nefertiti was moved to the Natural History Museum
late last month. It was introduced to the museum's visitors on Nov. 29
inside the "Insect Zoo," an exhibit gallery where other live arachnids and
insects are regularly available to observe.
"This morning (Dec. 3), before museum hours, a member of the Insect Zoo
staff discovered Neffi had died of natural causes," the museum wrote Monday
evening. "Neffi lived for 10 months. The lifespan of the species ... can
typically reach up to one year."
The spider's spaceflight and subsequent brief exhibit drew wide interest by
the press and the public. NASA astronaut Sunita Williams, who commanded the
space station while Nefertiti was onboard, provided updates about the spider
's status through a blog on NASA's website.
The Smithsonian said that the loss of Nefertiti, "a special animal that
inspired so many imaginations," would be felt throughout the museum
community.
Though Nefertiti's exhibition at the Insect Zoo has ended, it will continue
to live on at the Smithsonian. Its body will be added to the museum's
specimen collection.
"(Nefertiti) will continue to contribute to the understanding of spiders,"
the museum report.
Other space-flown spiders have met similar fates, entering the Smithsonian's
collection posthumously. "Arabella" and "Anita," the first spiders to spin
webs in space, both died while on the United States' first space station,
Skylab, in 1973. A year later, after they were returned to Earth, they were
donated by NASA to the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum for
display. | i*****s
发帖数: 15215 | 2 是不是一个活着回来的的蜘蛛，在太空有多大空间，扑食的虫子是什么？好多问题 | S****r
发帖数: 260 | 3 fruit fly
【在 i*****s 的大作中提到】
: 是不是一个活着回来的的蜘蛛，在太空有多大空间，扑食的虫子是什么？好多问题
| S****r
发帖数: 260 | 4 The 'spidernaut,' NASA's new insect zoo star, dies
http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-spidernau
WASHINGTON — The “spidernaut” has died.
Just days after becoming a star attraction at the National Museum of Natural
History’s Insect Zoo, the spider that spent 100 days in space was found
dead Monday.
“The unexpected loss of this special animal who inspired so many
imaginations will be felt throughout the museum community,” Kelly Carnes, a
museum spokeswoman, said.
The spider, named Nefertiti, died of natural causes, according to the museum.
The spider visited the International Space Station in a science experiment
proposed by an 18-year-old Egyptian student, Amr Mohamed, to examine how
spiders would hunt prey in microgravity. Nefertiti, was indeed able to catch
her prey — fruit flies.
Nefertiti lived for 10 months. The lifespan of the species P. johnsoni is
typically up to one year, the museum said.
Nefertiti’s educational mission, however, will continue. “The body of
Nefertiti will be added to the museum’s collection of specimens where she
will continue to contribute to our understanding of spiders,’’ Carnes said.
[For the record, 2:35 p.m. Dec. 3: An earlier version of this post featured
a photograph of the American Museum of Natural History in New York and said
that NASA’s “spidernaut” died there. The spider, which had been part of
an experiment at the International Space Station, died at the National
Museum of Natural History in Washington.] | y**u
发帖数: 7459 | | a***a
发帖数: 12425 | 6 还可以，挺毛儿的
【在 y**u 的大作中提到】
: 不够美貌
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