Iran has fired a research rocket into space with several barnyard animals aboard and President Ahmadinejad is pretty pumped about it. From The Washington Post
State television broadcast images of the launch of the 10-foot long Kavoshgar (Explorer)-3, and showed officials putting a mouse, two turtles and about a dozen creatures that looked like worms inside a capsule that was placed in the rocket before it blasted off.
The launch, part of Iran's ambitious space program, could boost Western concerns over Iran's missile program, since some space rockets can also be equipped with warheads and used as intercontinental missiles.
…
At the same time, Ahmadinejad appeared Tuesday to back a deal to remove most of Iran's enriched uranium from the country, a proposal Tehran had rejected several weeks ago.
Ahmadinejad on Wednesday also unveiled three more domestically made satellites; a booster rocket which can carry a satellite; and a study center for satellite date, local media reported. Iran sent its first satellite into orbit in 2009, marking a festive period surrounding the 30th anniversary of the Islamic revolution.
"If last year was our first presence in the space, this year is our living creatures' first presence in the space," Ahmadinejad said in a speech that was broadcast live to mark Space Technology Day. "This is a sign of bigger achievements to come," he said.
Mahmoud P Grey Suits strikes again!