Fruit flies on Gaganyaan.
The Gaganyaan mission is India’s big space project! ISRO, India’s space agency, wants to send Indian astronauts into space in an Indian-made spaceship. If this works, India will be one of the few countries to send people to space!
Before the astronauts go, there will be two test flights without people. The first test flight is planned for 2025, and the main mission may happen in 2026. But these dates could change.
And guess what? Tiny fruit flies might also go to space with Gaganyaan!
Fruit flies to space?! Why?
Yes, it’s true! Tiny fruit flies will travel to space! But why?
Space is very different from Earth! There is almost no gravity, strong radiation, etc. These things can make muscles weak, change the body, and speed up ageing.
Scientists want to study how space affects living things. Fruit flies are small, but they are a lot like humans! They have many genes that are also in humans. This helps scientists understand how space changes growth and health.
Long space trips can cause kidney stones. This happens because astronauts lose bone strength, don’t drink enough water, and their bodies change.
By studying fruit flies, scientists hope to find ways to keep astronauts healthy!
How will scientists study the flies?
A special box with tiny vials of fruit flies will go to space with Gaganyaan. Scientists will watch them closely using special technology.
To compare the results, they will keep one group of fruit flies on Earth. This will help scientists see exactly how space changes them.
It is not clear if fruit flies will go with the astronauts or before them. But one thing is sure—these tiny space travellers will help make space travel safer for humans!
