Mice and gerbils were among the animals found dead after a month-long space mission sponsored by the Russian Space Agency.
The Bion-M1 spacecraft was launched aboard a Soyuz-2 rocket from Kazakhstan on April 19 with the mission of uncovering the effects of long-term space flight on cellular structure. This was the first time that animals had spent such a long time in space without human companions, according to Vladimir Sychov, the deputy director of the Institute of Medical and Biological Problems in Moscow. The spacecraft orbited 357 miles above the Earth before landing May 18 with what remained of the space-faring animals.
When the capsule was opened, over half of the 45 mice aboard were found to have perished during the mission, along with all eight gerbils and 15 newts.
Sychov said, "[L]ess than half of the mice made it - but that was to be expected."
Mission scientists believe that the deaths of the animals was due to a combination of equipment failure and the effects of long-term exposure to space. The spacecraft landed in a field near the town of Orenburg, located 750 miles southeast of Moscow. Some of the animals who flew on the mission were shown on Russian television.
In addition to the three species which perished aboard the flight, the mission also housed geckos, fish and snails. Along with the animals, plant life was also on board the ship, as well as microorganisms. Mission researchers hope that the data collected during the flight will help shape human missions to Mars. This mission was heralded by researchers involved as being unique in the history of space flight with animals.
In a press conference before the flight, Valery Abrashkin, the TsSKB-Progress department head at the space research center said, "This [mission] is first and foremost to determine how our organisms adapt to weightlessness and to understand what we need to do to make sure that our organisms survive extended flights,"
The animals, both alive and dead, will be sent to the institute for research and analysis. Despite the loss of the animals, researchers believed that the data collected during the mission will still provide valuable insight into the effects of long-term space travel on living creatures.
