In 2015, fruit flies were sent to International Space Station to study how microgravity and the space environment affect the innate immune system

In 2015, fruit flies were sent to International Space Station to study how microgravity and the space environment affect the innate immune system. NASA’s Fruit Fly Lab-01 tested how weightlessness affects immunity and also tested a new research platform. The mission used fruit flies because of their genetic links to humans and their short life cycle.