[FPSPACE] non-human life forms have been on that 1969 N-1launch?

[Keith Gottschalk]

> They did actually have the first living organisms circle the Moon with Zond 5 in 1968 - turtles and other creatures, if I recall correctly.  

   In a previous discussion some yrs ago here, we learnt that the  "turtles" were actually cute lil' steppe tortoises about the size of a man's hand.

   Mark Wade of on-line encyclopedia fame kindly provided here a colour photo of one of the six survivors. He or she looked most nervous of the camera!

    Tortoises that small usually have a life span of less than thirty-five years, so I regret that not one of those six tortoises is probably still alive today as sploit pets of the scientists.  - Keith