When the space shuttle Discovery lifts off on its final flight
next week, its six astronauts will be accompanied by an unusual
team of co-passengers -- 16 rodents. The rodents, who will be on
a historic mission of their own, would be part of a scientific
experiment to investigate spaceflight-induced immune-system
impairment which makes astronauts vulnerable to infection by
viruses and bacteria. NASA has been studying the a phenomenon
aboard its space shuttles for more than 25 years, collecting
data from laboratory animals and astronauts themselves. The new
mouse experiment -- a collaboration between teams at the
University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB)at Galveston and NASA’s
Ames Research Centre in California -- will be the final
immunology investigation planned for the shuttle programme, a
UTMB release said. “Since the Apollo missions, we have had
evidence that astronauts have increased susceptibility to
infections during flight and immediately post-flight -- they
seem more vulnerable to cold and flu viruse