Russian space `sex geckos` are safe for now

Moscow: There is good news for the geckos aboard the Russian Foton-M4 space satellite meant to study the effects of microgravity on sex and reproduction.

Roscosmos, the Russian Space Agency, has regained control of the the satellite. Launched into space July 19 with four female geckos and one male gecko with fruit flies, mushrooms and scientific equipments, the Foton-M4 satellite`s engine stopped responding July 22. "The link is established, the prescribed commands have been conducted in accordance with the plan," Oleg Nikolayevich Ostapenko, chief official of Roscosmos was quoted as saying to Russia Today. About "90 percent" of the satellite`s experiments are still viable, Ostapenko added. The satellite is set to carry out experiments over two months.