China to send pig sperm into space

BEIJING, Sunday (AFP)

China plans to take semen from pedigree pigs on its second manned space mission to study whether exposure to outer space alters the genetic make-up of the sperm, state media said Sunday.

Some 40 grams of pig sperm will be carried on board the spacecraft Shenzhou VI when it blasts off in early October, the Xinhua news agency said.

The sperm will come from two carefully selected "Rongchang" pigs, which are named after Rongchang county in southwest China's Chongqing municipality.

The pigs are considered outstanding in terms of their physique and the quality of their pork, Xinhua said.

Some sperm will be kept inside the capsule of the Shenzhou VI and some will be stored outside it, enabling scientists to study the impact of microgravity and cosmic rays on the samples.