Exposure of House Flies and Oriental Rat Fleas on a High-Altitude Balloon Flight

Abstract

House flies ( Musca domestica L.) and oriental rat fleas ( Xenopsylla cheopis (Rothsch.)) were exposed inside an air-conditioned gondola during a balloon flight that maintained an altitude of 78,000 to 82,000 feet for 16 hours. The purpose was to gather information on biological damage from cosmic and other radiations near the top of the atmosphere during a well-instrumented flight. Succeeding generations of the exposed insects reproduced about normally and no physical abnormalities were noted. Fleas exposed outside the gondola were killed by the low temperature.