Groups Protest Use of Shuttle Animals

While the seven-man shuttle crew received final briefings Sunday, 24 rats and two squirrel monkeys named “3165” and “384-80” were loaded aboard the Challenger, despite protests from animal rights groups.

Using a system of ropes, pulleys and platforms, workmen lowered the monkeys and the rats down Challenger’s middle deck, through a tunnel and into the Spacelab in the cargo bay.

Meanwhile, animal rights groups said they will picket the Space Center today to protest the presence of animals on the flight.

“Challenger’s liftoff means that every painful experiment performed on animals on Earth will now be performed in space,” said Alex Pacheco, chairman of People for Ethical Treatment of Animals.

But Joseph Cremin, the Spacelab 3 mission manager, said the animals are being treated humanely.