I read today that NASA is going to expose squirrel monkeys to low level daily radiation doses in order to better understand the biological effects of extended space travel on humans.

I can’t help being reminded of the 1987 movie, Project X, which came out when I was about 12 years old, and had a very significant effect on me at that age. As a kid, being a bit of a nerd, I was interested in things like science, electricity, radiation, and whatnot. When my Mom took me to the library, I usually checked out science books. My Dad also worked in the X-ray Dept. at our local hospital, so radiation was something that I knew a lot about, and frankly, was a bit scared of.

I remember a scene from the movie where a particularly smart chimpanzee, which through the course of the movie became like a friend, was placed into an experimental flight simulator to be killed by radiation. It was one of the most horrible things my young mind could imagine. I was deeply affected by the sense of helplessness and sadness I felt for that chimp. I’ve never forgotten that scene after all these years.

Even though I understand the need for science, I feel sorry for the innocent animals that suffer for our pursuit of knowledge. And I hope that through the course of things no one ever views me as an expendable subject for a scientific experiment.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that NASA shouldn’t do the experiment. I would rather they experiment on monkeys than humans.  I just wonder if it’s really necessary in this case.

If you’re looking for an interesting (old) movie to rent, check out Project X. When I was 12 years old, I thought it was really good (your results may vary).

See the movie poster here.