Mousetronauts To Live In Space For the Longest Stretch Yet!!!!!!!!
Mousetronauts To Live In Space For the Longest Stretch Yet The record-breaking rodents will travel to the International Space Station this weekend. By Francie Diep. Mouse in Space! Not really: This lab mouse is posing on a model spacecraft. NASA Among the 2.5 tons of cargo that's set to go up to the International Space Station this weekend, there will be five mice with a particular genetic mutation. The mice lack a gene that normal mice have, called Muscle Ring Finger 1, or MuRF-1 (rhymes with Smurf). Scientists are hoping the missing gene will keep those mice healthier in space than their five ordinary compatriots that will be riding up with them. These 10 mice—along with 10 others from another experiment—will live on the ISS for a month. They'll be the first mammals, excluding humans, to spend so much time in space. (The typical length for a mouse's stay on the ISS is more like two weeks.) This is just a hint of what