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STS-129 Mission Timeline







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Day	Date	Time	Inside Temp	Out Temp	Inside Humidity	Out Humidity	Larvae Stage	Observations	Response #
Tues.	11/10							Larvae arrived at Chapin Middle School
Wed.	11/11							Containers arrive
Thurs	11/12	10-11am	21c 71f	11c 51f	60%	100%	1	Students begin setting up habitats and transferring larvae	1
Fri	11/13							Larvae are still living.	2

Wow! What a morning! 32 students, 4 parents, 1 teacher, 100 + butterflies = AMAZING TIMES! We worked as groups to respond to set up our butterfly habitats to match the NASA habitats. There are 10 groups of 3 students and 1 group of 2 students. Students were asked to "foam in" so we could cut down on any bacterial contamination. Student groups set up individual cups with 2cm's of larvae food and 2-3 larvae. Currently most larvae measure approximately 1cm. Research has told us that the larvae will continue to grow up to 3cm's before they form their chrysalis'. Each group put their cups within the habitat and began to monitor. The following classes will also take readings every 2 hours and record data that this class will transfer to their wikis on Monday. The parents assisted and also took still pictures and video of the process. Each group has a "family portrait" that they can post on their wiki to commemorate the start of our program. I am concerned how our "babies" will be in the classroom alone this weekend. I hope that everyone will be warm and safe until Monday.


I actually had trouble sleeping last night. I was so worried that I would come in to the classroom this morning and find poor dead caterpillars. They seemed just a bit droopy. Maybe they were recovering from being moved into their new housing. They seem to be eating well. I gave each cup more oxygen just to be safe. I am worried about leaving them for the entire weekend.
I was a nervous wreck coming in this morning. I think there is a possibility of news media coming in today to talk with the students about this project. What if all of the babies have died over the weekend. But they are all doing well and thriving and growing!!! It was so exciting to see how much they have grown in just a few days. The students will be shocked when they get here today. Now to get the wikis updated and completed so we can move on. The Space Shuttle will launch in a little more than 6 hours! How exciting! Click picture below to see the WLTX News Story about the project:




Stage 1: Larvae arrive and measure approximately 1 cm.


Stage 2: Larvae look more like caterpillars and are growing at about 1cm every 2 days. They are up to about 3 cm. We have particularly enjoyed watching this lighter colored caterpillar in the Painted People group.



Stage 3: Caterpillars are beginning to form chrysalids. It is so cool to watch them wiggle inside their shells.