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Snails rocket up to ISS: Russia
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    • MOSCOW (AFP) Feb 28, 2005
     Russia Monday sent a load of live snails up to the International Space Station for a series of tests on weightlessness, Russia's mission control center said.

    A cargo vessel Progress M-52 took off from a cosmodrome in Kazakhstan with more than 2.5 tonnes of supplies, including food, water and fuel.

    Some 50 snails were also included with the regular cargo on the spacecraft for an experiment that would allow scientists to better investigate the effects of weightlessness.

    The vessel is expected to reach the ISS on Wednesday.

    The mollusks are to return to Earth in late April along with the current crew, Russian cosmonaut Salizhan Sharipov and US astronaut Leroy Chiao




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