Russia Sends Gerbils into Space to Prepare for Manned Mars Mission

Last Friday, the Russian space agency sent a rocket into space containing 10 gerbils. The goal of the 12 day mission is to hopefully shed some light on the effects of a future manned mission to Mars. Gerbils were chosen over other rodents because they produce less excrement, require less water, and are active during the daytime (which makes them easier to film).

Anatoly Grogoryev, of the Russian Academy of Science, said that the experiment will be studying "salt exchange mechanisms in zero gravity conditions." When the gerbils return to Earth next week, many of them will be dissected and analyzed.

If Russia is sending research missions to study possible Mars trips, maybe there will be some competition (or cooperation) between Russia and the US that will see a manned trip to Mars realized in the foreseeable future.