Agnirva Space Premier League - Expedition #31307: Rodents in Orbit: Unlocking Human Health Insights with the Mice Drawer System

It might sound unusual, but mice are among the most important crew members on the International Space Station. The Mice Drawer System (MDS), developed by Thales Alenia Space, is a specialized habitat that houses rodents in microgravity to study the effects of long-term spaceflight on physiology.

Why mice? They share about 95% of their genes with humans, making them excellent models for studying bone loss, muscle atrophy, immune response, and other changes that also affect astronauts.

The MDS experiment tracked how living in space impacts mice over time. Researchers monitored their health, behavior, and tissue samples to draw conclusions relevant to human biology. Insights from this experiment are helping scientists design countermeasures—like exercise protocols and drugs—to protect astronauts.

Beyond spaceflight, the results contribute to Earth-based medicine, especially in aging research and diseases like osteoporosis. The MDS highlights how space experiments can double as health studies with wide-reaching benefits.

For young learners, this project demonstrates that even small animals can play a giant role in scientific discovery.

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