Monarch Watch — a KU-based network of students, teachers, volunteers and researchers dedicated to study of the monarch butterfly — is providing caterpillars to NASA, along with a special artificial diet. If all goes according to plan, the insects will eat, grow and go through metamorphosis to emerge as adult butterflies in 17 days while in low Earth orbit.

Learn more about the mission at: http://www.news.ku.edu/2009/november/10/butterflies.shtml

Learn more about Monarch Watch at http://www.monarchwatch.org/ (less info)