The Economic Times

In 1997, NASA sent 64 desert beetles to Russias Mir space station with tiny wheels tracking their every movement; their movements helped scientists understand how light regulates biological clocks in microgravity

NASA sent black desert beetles into space aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis in 1997. These insects lived on the Russian Mir space station for 125 days. Tiny wheels tracked their movements to study activity changes in microgravity. Researchers found light pulses shifted beetle clocks, while gravity affected their natural rhythms. This experiment helped understand challenges for human sleep and circadian rhythms during space missions.