Russian scientists are carrying out experiments to test the impact of cosmic radiation on astronauts, the RIA Novosti news agency reported Friday.
Monkeys are being used in the experiments, which are set to be vital as astronauts make longer journeys across the solar system.
While the Earth's magnetosphere protects astronauts who orbit the planet from cosmic radiation, as people begin to travel in open space, they will begin to find themselves bombarded with rays from the sun and other stars.
The monkeys will be given doses of the radiation so that scientists at Moscow State University, the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, the Biomedical Institute and the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences (RAMS) can assess its impact.
