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Australian Spiders Travel To Space

Mike Parsons writes "CNN is reporting an interesting story on Australian spiders that will travel to space for a scientific experiment. Here is a quote: Eight spiders from Australia will make a trip to outer space to help the U.S. space agency test the effects of zero gravity. It's not the first time arachnids have been sent into space. In 1973, NASA sent Arabella, a common cross spider in the United States, into orbit on the Skylab space station."

28 comments

  1. Spiders in zero gravity by DeadSea · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I saw a news program that had some sort of zero gravity simulation using very strong magnetic fields. It was very similar to these machines, I believe. The zero-g chamber on the things is a tube about 6 inches long and 3 inches wide. Much to small for a human (the magnetic fields for something that big are prohibitive), but they put a strawberry, and then a spider inside. Both turned out just fine, but the spider looked like it got a bit seasick as is scambled around. Kinda cute to watch. I wish I could find some pictures.

    1. Re:Spiders in zero gravity by malakai · · Score: 3, Interesting

      You're talking about dimagnetic levitation.

      This group has the flying frogs, strawberries, grasshopper and water:
      HFML at University of Nijmegen

      The site has movies and pictures.

  2. That's not a web... by Hubert_Shrump · · Score: 2

    THIS is a web.

    ...And his name will be Bruce, obviously.

    --
    Keep your packets off my GNU/Girlfriend!
  3. Fear the web! by iMMersE · · Score: 4, Funny

    I just hope the astronauts don't have arachnophobia.

    Just imagine, you're in outer space, trapped inside a sealed container, no place to go, and you feel something moving inside your AstroSleepTight (tm) bag ...

    --
    codegolf.com - smaller *is* better.
  4. Scenario by missing000 · · Score: 1

    Spiders are irradiated in space, they bite humans who gain spider abilities and become superheroes...
    Wait, I heard something like that some ware before...

    1. Re:Scenario by Guignol · · Score: 1

      It was probably drugware

  5. obligitory simpsons quotation by farnsworth · · Score: 4, Funny
    watch your local news for this story:

    Ladies and gentlemen, er, we've just lost the picture, but, uh, what we've seen speaks for itself. The Corvair spacecraft has been taken over -- "conquered", if you will -- by a master race of giant space ants^H^H^H spiders. It's difficult to tell from this vantage point whether they will consume the captive earth men or merely enslave them. One thing is for certain, there is no stopping them; the ants^H^H^H spiders will soon be here. And I, for one, welcome our new insect^H^H^H^H arachnid overlords. I'd like to remind them that as a trusted TV personality, I can be helpful in rounding up others to toil in their underground sugar caves.

    --

    There aint no pancake so thin it doesn't have two sides.

  6. NO YOU FOOLS! by skinfitz · · Score: 2

    Out of all the things to send into space!

    Obviously they will thrive in zero g and, coupled with strange cosmic radiation that they will inveriably encounter, will grow to enourmous size and intelligence and eventually invade the earth!

    Couldn't send something cute could they - oh no.

    1. Re:NO YOU FOOLS! by isorox · · Score: 2, Funny

      Couldn't send something cute could they

      Like a furby? What happens if that mututes into a large killing machine?

  7. Wow by isorox · · Score: 2

    Here is a quote: Eight spiders from Australia will make a trip to outer space to help the U.S. space agency test the effects of zero gravity

    I had no idea spiders were so benevolent! I take it they are getting a 5* hotel stay before lift off, for their generous donation of time. This experiment will surely enhance Astrailian-Spider relations.

  8. The Parking Lot is Full had it right. :) by Hobart · · Score: 3, Funny
    --
    o/~ Join us now and share the software ...
  9. A poem...for the fans... by Dr.+Bent · · Score: 2

    The itsy-bitsy spider went up to outer space;
    down back to earth, Whoah! It grew a human face!
    Out came the media and the experts to explain,
    how the itsy-bitsy spider got a such a fucked DNA strain.

    1. Re:A poem...for the fans... by praedictus · · Score: 1

      And after signs them, they're gonna be Ziggy Stardust's backup band...

      --
      Watashi wa chikyubutsurigakusha desu.
    2. Re:A poem...for the fans... by Suppafly · · Score: 1

      i wish i could mod you up.. heh.. gotta love ziggy stardust and the spiders from mars

  10. PAY HOMAGE TO OUR NEW SPIDER OVERLORDS by aneiken · · Score: 1

    For who knows when the spider mother ship will land(in austrlia) causeing havoc and forcing all humans to make a giant daeth ray to point at our queen spiders political oppositon.

    1. Re:PAY HOMAGE TO OUR NEW SPIDER OVERLORDS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Reminds me of the Ilwrath race in Star Control.

    2. Re:PAY HOMAGE TO OUR NEW SPIDER OVERLORDS by juhaz · · Score: 1

      Ilwrath? Spider Overlords? Oh, no, those were most fun to play with! Just get the nifty hyperwave caster and play God for those stoopid arachnids.

      As an added bonus, it got you rid of the stupid rhinoes as well.

  11. Lost in Space by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Whoa! What they have done is nothing less than created the eeeeevil cybor spiders seen in at least the fantastic movie Lost in Space!!!!1111

  12. Spiders in the great beyond by Johnnojoke · · Score: 1

    guess there must be flys (flies?) in space, too - otherwise, they'd have to feed the spiders goo from tubes, which they probably wouldn't care for too much.

    --
    all opinions are not created equal.
  13. Obviously propaganda by msouth · · Score: 3, Funny

    This is obviously an attempt to embarrass the Chinese. Look at the timing--they have a big announcement about sending up and recovering an unmanned rocket equipped with life support, but no humans yet. So what does the swaggering west do? "Hey, look, even our spiders can go to space!"

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    Liberty uber alles.
  14. Ultra-Pi-Pi by Cyno01 · · Score: 2

    It could be just as dangerous to send a hampster into space, havn't you seen that ep of Invader Zim?

    --
    "Sic Semper Tyrannosaurus Rex."
  15. Mod parent Funny by Wolfrider · · Score: 1

    ...for Croc.Dundee and Monty Python jokes in the same post... :)

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    .
    == WolfriderV6 == I'm willing to admit that *I just might* be wrong... Are you??
  16. Great idea. by eekaterrorist · · Score: 1

    And when we've sent all the spiders into space, we can start on Microsoft executives. Then we can build a big spaceship and fill it with marketing consultants and telephone cleaners...

  17. Anchovy paste! by shrikel · · Score: 1
    goo from tubes, which they probably wouldn't care for too much.

    Besides, would ANYBODY (spiders included) really eat anchovy paste? I've never figured out why they decided to send that up with the astronauts anyway.

    (Aww, come on, didn't anybody else watch "The Rocket Man?" ... No? ... Geez. Me and my loserness will just sit here and mope.)

    --
    Any sufficiently simple magic can be passed off as mere advanced technology.