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Viable Mammal Embryos In Space Demonstrated by Chinese Experiment (chinadaily.com.cn)
hackingbear writes: "The latest experiment results from China's SJ-10 recoverable satellite have been sent back with some groundbreaking news. For the first time in human history, it has been proven that the early stages of embryos in mammals can be developed completely in a space environment," according to China Daily. "High-resolution photographs sent back by SJ-10 show that the mouse embryos carried by the return capsule completed the entire developing process within 96 hours from the launch, the first reported successful development of mammalian embryos in space."
The U.S. conducted similar experiment on Space Shuttle Columbia in 1996 and China conducted one abroad its SJ-8 in 2006, neither was able to show any viable embryos back then. "The human race may still have a long way to go before we can colonize the space. But before that, we have to figure out whether it is possible for us to survive and reproduce in the outer space environment like we do on Earth. Now, we finally proved that the most crucial step in our reproduction – the early embryo development -- is possible in the outer space," said Duan Enkui, Professor of the Institute of Zoology affiliated to the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and principle researcher of the experiment.
The U.S. conducted similar experiment on Space Shuttle Columbia in 1996 and China conducted one abroad its SJ-8 in 2006, neither was able to show any viable embryos back then. "The human race may still have a long way to go before we can colonize the space. But before that, we have to figure out whether it is possible for us to survive and reproduce in the outer space environment like we do on Earth. Now, we finally proved that the most crucial step in our reproduction – the early embryo development -- is possible in the outer space," said Duan Enkui, Professor of the Institute of Zoology affiliated to the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and principle researcher of the experiment.
I, for one, am happy to welcome our space mouse overlords.
I at no point fed you guys a bunch of sacharine, aspartame, or anything else.
The one thing "determined to cause cancer in laboratory rats" is... lab researchers.
My best and mousiest wishes.
Ehud Gavron
Mouseville Tx
Although no doubt contraception was used, you most likely would not be the first member of the "200 Mile Club". Astronaut memoirs may one day provide candid public discussion regarding this.
Jan Davis and Mark Lee, who were the first married couple to go to space in 1991, and were on their honeymoon. This was an unusual situation, NASA does not send up married couples as a rule, but these two were training for a specific mission together when they got involved and married. Changing the mission crew would have delayed the mission, so up they went. Despite the close quarters, and busy schedule I would think that the other astronauts would be able to find some way to stay busy, while the newlyweds "got busy" at some point.
Then there is the interesting case of Elena Kondakova and Valery Polyakov who spent a few months together alone on Mir in the 1990s, and who did some rather outrageous flirting on camera, raising curiosity about what they were doing off camera.
Starships were meant to fly, Hands up and touch the sky - Nicky Minaj
Jan Davis and Mark Lee, who were the first married couple to go to space in 1991, and were on their honeymoon. This was an unusual situation, NASA does not send up married couples as a rule, but these two were training for a specific mission together when they got involved and married. Changing the mission crew would have delayed the mission, so up they went. Despite the close quarters, and busy schedule I would think that the other astronauts would be able to find some way to stay busy, while the newlyweds "got busy" at some point.
And yet somehow, NASA has made last minute substitutions to flight crews for illnesses without a delay in any of the missions. It is very likely that NASA would have split the couple up if they did not want them there. A much more plausible explanation was that given the opportunity of having a married couple in space, NASA chose to maximize the research opportunities it allowed (versus dealing with various morality issues if they were not married to each other).