Can Spiders Spin Their Webs in Zero Gravity?
PHILADELPHIA

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Can spiders spin webs under weightless
„. conditions? This is one of the many ex- ;
‘ periments to be conducted as part of the
– Skylab mission. Skylab is our country’s
first space station.
Experiments will be conducted to col- ‘
lect< information about man, his planet
Earth, and the Sun. Scientists will also ,
experiment to see if spiders can spin webs
in zero gravity.
; The spiders will be sent to Skylab with
the third astronaut crew. They will be car- ’
ried in a small box. The trip to Skylab will i
take about seven hours. As soon as pos- j
sible, the spiders will be put into separate 1
_xages already stored aboard. X-e crew will
.    ine    insects    w    m
get no food since carrying live flies into
space would be a problem. Cameras will
take pictures „uich will be relayed back
to Earth.    i
The type of spider chosen for this mis-
sion is the female cross spider. This spider
was picked because it weaves a web almost
every day.
Why on earth send spiders into space?
According to Dr. Peter Witt, world fa-
mous spider research expert, no other liv-
ing thing can express itself in such an
easily predictable and measurable way as
a spider when it weaves a web. After years
of research, Dr. Witt knows exactly whal
kind of web the female, cross spider, at <
certain age, will weave. This spider is de
pendable because web building is it
strongest instinct. It must build a web t
trap food.
trap food.
By knowing so much about spider \
havior on earth, Dr. Witt can easily co
pare it with spider behavior in space
examining the web pictures.
This experiment was suggested
Judith Miles, a high school student f:
Lexington, Mass. She was one of the t
ners in a contest sponsored by NAS^
which some 35,000 students suggeste«
periments. Nineteen student experirr
; will bä carried put during Skylab mis
Can Spiders Spin Their Webs in Zero Gravity?
Mrs. Ruth Scarboro, tesearch assistant, and Dr. Peter Witt, spider research special-
ist, feed a spider water in the Raleigh, North Carolina laboratory. The astronauts
will use a similar method when they give spiders water in space. Dr. Witt has been
the chief advisor to NASA’s spider in space experiment. He will analyze the pic-
tures when they are sent back from space.
Judith Miles, a high school student from Lexing-
ton, Mass, discusses the spider experiment she
proposed m a NASA contest held last year.
The female cross spider is
J’*e kind to be sent into
space.
The normal web of the cross spider (left). It will
space” t0 C<taipwe    sent,    from    –