Opera in Outer Space?

If the weather and various technological factors permit, at approximately 1:28 PM CST today NASA's space shuttle Atlantis blasts off on a mission to deliver spare parts to the International Space Station.

How on earth (or in space!) is the opera involved? Through our Song of Houston project celebrating Mexico 2010 and the Monarch butterfly.

I mentioned a few posts ago that we're working with several local schools on projects inspired by the Monarch butterfly. Well, we got word a week or so ago that NASA's space shuttle Atlantis will carry a monarch butterfly experiment to the International Space Station. Through HGOco's collaboration with the US Forest Service and Monarch Watch, two of our partner schools - Neff and Twain Elementary Schools - have been selected to participate in this experiment.


Students at Neff and Twain Elementary schools will compare the growth and development of butterfly larvae in the weightless environment (technically it's microgravity) of the International Space Station with butterfly larvae being raised simultaneously in their classrooms on Earth. In order to participate, teachers and students had to create rearing chambers that are similar to the cases going up on the shuttle.

The larvae arrived at our schools on Friday and have spent the weekend getting used to their new "homes." We'll keep you posted with progress and the results of the experiment to compare and contrast the life cycle of the Monarch butterfly in microgravity and on Earth. The students and teachers can barely contain their excitement - neither can we!