Next Monday, reports BCN (via SF Appeal), 16 San Francisco-based mice will be blasted into space to test the furry little critters' immune system response to zero gravity. The sweet 16, if you will, "will remain there for 13-16 days at zero gravity." When the mice return to Earth, they will be compared with 16 other land mice to see how both groups react to "simulated infection." Millie Hughes-Fulford, director of the Laboratory for Cell Growth at the San Francisco VA Medical Center, explained ""From the beginning of the U.S. Apollo moon program, we've known that about half of our astronauts develop suppressed immune systems, either during flight or shortly afterwards." Godspeed, little mice.