KU Medical Center Sperm Study Flies on Space Shuttle

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THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS MEDICAL CENTER -- Joseph Tash, Ph.D., a physiologist at the University of Kansas Medical Center, designed a set of experiments that flew on two space shuttle missions in 1997 aboard the Space Shuttle/MIR docking missions STS-81 and STS-84. Luanch dates were January 12 and May 15, 1997.

Tash studies the movement of sperm -- an area of research important in fertility. He's looked at several factors that affect the movement in a process called hyperactivation. With the space shuttle experiments, he'll examine the effect of gravity -- in this case, the near-zero gravity of space -- on sperm movement.

During the last year, Tash trained in collaboration with scientists from NASA and the European Space Agency in the performance of his experiments in space. He'll monitor their experiments from the ground and perform the same experiments at John F. Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, Florida.

His experiments will examine the complicated process of how sperm are signaled to move -- a critical step for fertilization. Simply put, the sperm receive chemical signals that get the sperm's flagellum -- or tail -- to move. This propels the sperm's travel to the egg.

Tash uses the sperm of sea urchins in his experiments. Sea urchins are small, spiny, marine creatures that look like pin cushions. Despite the unusual source, sperm and sperm movement are universal in the animal kingdom, Tash says.

Sea urchin sperm is used because there is less variation from one animal to another than there is among humans or other mammals. Sea urchin sperm can also survive pre-launch delays better than these other species.

An earlier, unmanned, space flight showed that bovine (bull) sperm movement was faster in space compared to its movement on Earth.

Space shuttle scientists will perform the experiments using a compact laboratory called the Biorack supplied by the European Space Agency.

Tash is an associate professor of physiology and a member of the Smith Mental Retardation and Human Development Center and the Center for Reproductive Sciences at KU Medical Center.

The Simpsons Connection

So what's Homer Simpson have to do with this? Well, since you asked...

Homer Simpson, the patriarch of the popular television show, is featured on a patch inspired by Tash's experiments. It came about through a family connection to Matt Groening, the Simpsons' creator. Check out the logo. You can also visit the Simpson's home page at Fox.