Iran's triumphant venture of sending a monkey into space may have been exposed as a fake, a report by The Telegraph based on photographs suggests.
Before the launch, state-run media posted photographs of the monkey with a distinctive red mole above its right eye. It also had light fur round its head. Upon the monkey's return from space, the mole had vanished, as had the fur.
The discrepancies in the photographs have led to speculation that either they launched the capsule into space, but it never returned, or that the launch never took place, The Telegraph reports.
To read the Telegraph’s article, please click here.
UPDATE: Mohammad Ebrahimi, an official with Iran’s space agency, told AP that the photos of a returning monkey, released by the country’s official and semi-official news agencies, were not related to the actual space fight. (AP, 2 February)
Ebrahimi insisted that the monkey “Pishgam” (“Avant Guard”) was sent into orbit and returned safely. Iranian news agencies have not yet released an explanation of why a wrong monkey was pictured as returning from the voyage.
Photo credit: Iran space monkey (The Telegraph)