Russians Aim to Send Monkey to Mars

[kristine]

Russians Aim to Send Monkey to Mars
Robot would look after primate during 520-day round trip

(Newser) – The first Earthling to reach Mars may be a Russian monkey, according to scientists at an ex-Soviet facility. The director of an institute that supplied monkeys to the Soviet space program in the '80s says the facility is in talks with Russia's Cosmonautics Academy over supplying animals for a simulated Mars mission. A real mission could follow with a robot on board to look after the monkey, he says.

The robot would feed and clean up after the monkey during the 520-day round trip. "Technicians have told us that it's not difficult to build such a robot," the institute's director tells AFP. "The hard part is teaching the monkey to live with the robot."

www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jS6CniwVwLishjQ3bmgiDUkvYYng

Cool.

[Tiger]

That's cruel. Send two monkeys so the first one won't be lonely.

[DarkfireTaimatsu]

I can't help but think of this.

[MaybeNever]

They had better land the monkey on Mars, so that when humans get there we have a ready supply of monkey butlers and delicious dinner.

[kristine]

I assume they are going to try and bring the monkey back again.

[Admiral Lithp]

Dec 22, 2009 16:07:41 GMT -5 DarkfireTaimatsu said:

I can't help but think of this.

Whew, I thought I'd be the only one.

[Sigmaleph]

Dec 22, 2009 18:47:32 GMT -5 MaybeNever said:

They had better land the monkey on Mars, so that when humans get there we have a ready supply of monkey butlers and delicious dinner.

You need at least two monkeys for that.

[Tiger]

Dec 23, 2009 13:32:15 GMT -5 Sigmaleph said:

Dec 22, 2009 18:47:32 GMT -5 MaybeNever said:

They had better land the monkey on Mars, so that when humans get there we have a ready supply of monkey butlers and delicious dinner.

You need at least two monkeys for that.

Another reason to support my "two monkeys" plan.

[clockworkgirl21]

Cue my animal testing vent.

[gotpwnt]

Dec 22, 2009 15:46:43 GMT -5 kristine said:

Russians Aim to Send Monkey to Mars
Robot would look after primate during 520-day round trip

(Newser) – The first Earthling to reach Mars may be a Russian monkey, according to scientists at an ex-Soviet facility. The director of an institute that supplied monkeys to the Soviet space program in the '80s says the facility is in talks with Russia's Cosmonautics Academy over supplying animals for a simulated Mars mission. A real mission could follow with a robot on board to look after the monkey, he says.

The robot would feed and clean up after the monkey during the 520-day round trip. "Technicians have told us that it's not difficult to build such a robot," the institute's director tells AFP. "The hard part is teaching the monkey to live with the robot."

www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jS6CniwVwLishjQ3bmgiDUkvYYng

Cool.

Do you smell that?

... smells like dead monkeys...

[Oriet]

And all that comes to my mind...

"We can't afford to send cosmonauts to Mars."

"So send a couple of monkeys, that should be cheaper."

"But sir, we can't afford to train the monkeys either."

"So grab some random people off the street and call them monkeys."

"Oh, that should do the trick!"