A couple of geckos are now at risk after Russia's research satellite that tests the weightlessness effect on its sex lives lost control on Thursday.
Space firm Progress confirmed that its Foton-M4 satellite failed to respond to ground commands to rev its onboard engine and raise it to an upper orbit. Russia's mission control lost contact with the research satellite full of small lizards which could fall from orbit in several months unless experts can restore communications with it.
If the spacecraft's life support systems would also be disrupted, the male gecko and four female ones on board will die because of starvation. The life support systems can sustain the lizards for two and a half months. Foton-M4 can stay in orbit for up to four months.
"We currently receive telemetric data from Foton. However, we cannot transmit commands from the Earth to the satellite so far, that is, we have only one-way connection. Experts are now trying to restore the communication," an official said.
Part of a research satellite program since 1985, the satellite full of fruit flies and reptiles launched from Kazakhstan's baikonur cosmodrome on July 19 to experiment on the zero gravity effects on the geckos and on its reproductive habits over a two-month time frame as scientists monitor its behavior through a ground video. They were sent into 575 kilometer low earth orbit along with plant seeds, mushrooms, various microorganisms and 850 kilograms of scientific instruments to aid 22 experiments including zero gravity physics, semiconductor material production and biotechnology. Geckos live in subtropical and tropical climates.
In June, Russia's maiden voyage since the Soviet period, Angara rocket was called off at the last minute as Vladimir Putin and the rest of the people watching live television looked on. After three weeks of delay in electrical system testing, it was launched successfully on July 9. In 2007, the last Photon-M was launched carrying lizards, newts, slugs, Mongolian gerbils, spiders and butterflies and successfully returned to Earth. However, the first Photon-M was launched in 2001 and it ended tragically after the launch vehicle plummeted back to Earth and killed a soldier with its explosion.
