NASA halts monkey radiation experiment for now

[The Straight Story]

NASA halts monkey radiation experiment for now

A controversial NASA plan to irradiate squirrel monkeys to better understand the risks of long-duration spaceflight on humans appears to have been scrapped. NASA ordered the project removed from consideration for lab time, although the space agency stopped short of saying the study had been canceled.

The experiment, which would have been conducted at NASA's Space Radiation Laboratory at the Brookhaven National Laboratory on Long Island, called for exposing 27 squirrel monkeys to high-energy gamma-ray radiation so researchers could observe its effects on the monkeys health and task performance. Animal-rights activists called the project cruel and poorly designed.

In a brief statement posted Dec. 8 on NASA's website, the agency said it will move forward only after completing a comprehensive review of its current research and technology development plans to see how they align with President Obama's plan for human spaceflight.

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http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40648441/ns/technology_and_science-space/

[CBGLuthier]

1. And now Matthew Broderick can help them steal a plane

Fly away to freedom monkeys. Fly away Home..

[baldguy]

2. "Dr. Bruce Banner, the leader of the project could not be reached for comment."