Purdue News

November 30, 2001 'Chix-in-space' research continues on STS-108 Tuesday's (12/4) launch of the Space Shuttle Endeavor will carry Ronald Hullinger's latest experiment into orbit. Hullinger, a professor of developmental anatomy in Purdue's School of Veterinary Medicine, studies the effects of zero gravity on avian embryonic development and reproduction. The project started with chicken eggs in the mid-1980s but evolved into a joint venture with Slovak researchers to send Japanese quail eggs on space flights. Hullinger says eggs, with their hard-shell coverings, are useful for studying development from conception. This latest experiment involves 36 fertilized Japanese quail eggs, half of which will be placed in a centrifuge that will create a gravitational force similar to that on earth throughout the space flight. The other 18 eggs, which will not be in a centrifuge, will be allowed to develop in the weightless environment of space. Hullinger anticipates that the results will help researchers better understand the role of gravity in embryonic development. Hullinger is available for interviews on the West Lafayette campus through Tuesday, (12/4). CONTACT: Ronald Hullinger, (765) 494-8580, hullingr@purdue.edu. Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu To the Purdue News and Photos Page