[FPSPACE] A Monkey to Mars? Reportage on Russian aspirations to do so

[Jens Kieffer-Olsen]

Do we have a picture here of one of the prime candidates?
 
http://kvaxi.clan.su/sakashvili.jpg
 
S Novym Godom!
 
EHC K.-O.

-----Original Message-----  
From: Peter Pesavento [mailto:pjp961 at svol.net] 
Sent: Tuesday, December 22, 2009 7:38 PM
To: fpspace at friends-partners.org
Subject: [FPSPACE] A Monkey to Mars? Reportage on Russian aspirations to do
so



Reported by the UK Telegraph.

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/space/6864142/Monkey-to-be-sent-to-Mars.h
tml

 

I take it that this proposed mission would be a one-way "Laika" ride..no
intention of them to survive the mission.

 

 


Monkey to be sent to Mars


A monkey may be sent to Mars, under plans unveiled by Russian scientists. 


By Urmee Khan
Published: 9:51AM GMT 22 Dec 2009

 

Although the ape will be looked after by a robot on the mission, the
decision is expected to spark controversy with animal rights groups. 

The Russians first succeeded in putting monkeys into orbit in 1983. 

"We have plans to return to space," said Zurab Mikvabia, director of the
Institute of Experimental Pathology and Therapy in Georgia which supplied
apes for the programme in the 1980s. 

The Institute is in preliminary talks with Russia's Cosmonautics Academy
about preparing monkeys for a simulated Mars mission that could lay the
groundwork for sending an ape to the Red Planet, he said. 

Such an initiative would build on Mars-500, a joint Russian-European project
that saw six human volunteers confined in a capsule in Moscow for 120 days
earlier this year to simulate a Mars mission. 

Mr Mikvabia said: "Earlier this programme was aimed at sending cosmonauts,
people (to Mars). 

"But given the length of the flight to Mars, and given the cosmic rays for
which we don't have adequate protection over such a long trip, discussions
have focused recently on sending an ape instead of a person." 

Estimates for the length of the journey to Mars vary depending on the type
of mission envisioned, but the European Space Agency says its proposal for a
round-trip mission would take 520 days, or about a year and a half. 

If Russia pursues the idea of sending monkeys to Mars, Mikvabia's institute
could become the site of an enclosed "biosphere" where apes would be kept
for long periods to simulate space flights. 

The Institute said a robot would accompany the first primate to Mars to feed
and look after the ape. 

Mr Mikvabia said: "The robot will feed the monkey, will clean up after it.
Our task will be to teach the monkey to co-operate with the robot." 

 

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