SoylentNews

AnonTechie writes:

For three days in late July, our eyes collectively turned skyward. We, as a species, sat helpless, united in hope that a satellite full of geckos tasked with a month-long sex romp would be safely returned to orbit—and indeed to Earth—after the Russian space ministry lost control of it. Eventually, Roscosmos regained control of the satellite, and today Foton-M4 touched down in Orenberg, Southern Russia, to worldwide jubilation.

It is thus, with heavy hearts, we report that all five of the Geckos on-board died, according to the Russian space agency. The sad news was confirmed by Roscosmos ( https://twitter.com/mattb0401/status/506451596151382018 ) to the Moscow Times as they prepared a joint statement with the ominously named Russian Institute of Biomedical Problems.

These geckos died in the cause of science, for the greater good, etc. A toast to these pioneering geckos! Four generations of Drosophila flies, microorganisms and plants were also sent into space. Update 16:56 BST: The flies survived and reproduced!

http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2014-09/01/rip-space-sex-geckos