Space & Astronomy

Russia loses contact with space geckos

By T.K. Randall
July 26, 2014

Image Credit: (PD) NASA via Wikimedia Commons Launched on July 19th, the six tonne satellite reached orbit without a hitch but later stopped responding to ground control. With a crew consisting of geckos, fruit flies and mushrooms the mission was designed to study the effects of microgravity on the animals and their sexual behavior.

Specialists are now working to restore a stable connection with the stricken satellite however it is believed that the mission will still be able to continue for several weeks.

"The equipment which is working in automatic mode, and in particular the experiment with the geckos is working according to the programme," said press secretary Oleg Voloshin from Russia's Institute of Medico-Biological Problems.

Source: BBC News

Tags: Russia, Satellite, Geckos