EFFECT OF GENDER AND STAGE OF DROSOPHILA DEVELOPMENT DURING STAY ONBOARD THE ISS ON THE ABILITY TO ADAPT BEHAVIOR TO EARTH’S GRAVITY

After a 12-day exposure on the ISS RS, Drosophila's behavior and adaptability to Earth's gravity were examined in relation to their gender and developmental stage. The experiment was carried out using two gender-mixed groups of flies, i.e. launched at the age of 1-2 day old imago and larvae at the third instar (all metamorphosis stages and the first week occurred on the ISS). Tests were performed to determine the fly’s ability to climb a vertical wall, their level of spontaneous locomotor activity, courtship behavior, and male sound production. It was found that after the in-space metamorphosis parameter of behavior in all tests were decreased in both genders. Climbing, courtship, and sound production disorders persisted until the end of life. However, some behavior disorders of the imago flies partly recover.