A blob sent into space to join Thomas Pesquet?
This is the unusual project created by the CNES (Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales) and biologists from Toulouse (France). To carry out his mission, the blob boarded the Antares rocket on August 10, 2021, heading for the ISS. During the space trip, scientists have been observing the blob’s every move with the help of on-board cameras.
The questions that interested the researchers were varied:
- How will the blob react to cosmic rays and weightlessness?
- How will it organize itself in 3-dimensional space, given that it is used to moving around the 2D surfaces of its terrestrial environment?
- Could his ability to organize itself in a 3D environment such as water come in handy?
Relax for a few minutes, and enjoy a ticket to outer space. Head in the stars, follow the space adventures of the blob, guided by my voice.
A podcast produced by The Blob Lab
Written, narrated and edited by Mylène Durant
Mixed by Christophe Gouix
Thumbnail by Christophe Gouix
📚 Bibliography
- I. Block, A. Wolke and W. Briegleb, Gravitational Response of the slime mold Physarum, Adv. Space Res. Vol. 14, No. 8, pp. (8)21-(8)34, (1994)
- I. Block, W. Briegleb, V. Sobick and K. E. Wohlfarth-Bottermann, Confirmation of gravisensitivity in the slime mold Physarum polycephalum under near weightlessness, Adv. Space Res. Vol. 6. No. 12. pp. 143—150 (1986)
- NASA Life Siences Data Archive, Mission, Study Information : Cosmos 1129, last updated (06-10-20) https://lsda.jsc.nasa.gov/Mission/miss/59
- Le Blob l’extra média, Le Blob envoyé spatial (The Blob sent into space) https://leblob.fr/environnement-nature/blob-envoye-spatial, (2019)
- A. Dussutour, “L’immortalité biologique : fiction ou réalité ? (Biological immortality: fiction or reality?)”, conference at the Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie de Paris, (23-11-2019)
🎵 Music
- NoMBe – Zodiac Structures
- Luis Humanoide – Victory Fanfare
- Jesse Gallagher – Thin Places
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