Bion 5, also known as Kosmos 1129 (in Russian: Бион 5, Космос-1129) was a Bion satellite. It was an international

biomedical research Medical research (or biomedical research), also known as health research, refers to the process of using scientific methods with the aim to produce knowledge about human diseases, the prevention and treatment of illness, and the promotion of ...

mission involving scientists from nine countries, launched on 29 September 1979, at 15:30:00

UTC Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) is the primary time standard globally used to regulate clocks and time. It establishes a reference for the current time, forming the basis for civil time and time zones. UTC facilitates international communica ...

. Among the experiments was the first attempt to breed mammals in space, which proved unsuccessful. The mission ended after 14.5 days, on 14 October 1979, at 02:24 UTC. The mission had the cooperation of the Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia,

East Germany East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...

, France, Hungary, Poland, Romania, the United States and the Soviet Union.

Mission

Organisms studied included: * ''

Rattus norvegicus ''Rattus'' is a genus of muroid rodents, all typically called rats. However, the term rat can also be applied to rodent species outside of this genus. Species and description The best-known ''Rattus'' species are the black rat (''R. rattus' ...

'' (

Wistar rat Laboratory rats or lab rats are strain (biology), strains of the rat subspecies ''Rattus norvegicus domestica'' (Domestic Norwegian rat) which are bred and kept for scientific research. While Animal testing on rodents, less commonly used for re ...

) * ''

Coturnix coturnix The common quail (''Coturnix coturnix''), or European quail, is a small ground-nesting game bird in the pheasant family Phasianidae. It is mainly migratory, breeding in the western Palearctic and wintering in Africa and southern India. With its ...

'' (Japanese quail) * ''

Daucus carota ''Daucus carota'', whose common names include wild carrot, European wild carrot, bird's nest, bishop's lace, and Queen Anne's lace (North America), is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae. It is native to temperate regions of the Old World ...

'' (carrot)

Objectives

Bion 5 mission consisted of various biological studies, including the first mammalian reproduction attempts (

rats Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents. Species of rats are found throughout the order Rodentia, but stereotypical rats are found in the genus ''Rattus''. Other rat genera include ''Neotoma'' (pack rats), '' Bandicota'' (bandicoot ...

) in space, which ended up not succeeding. Experiences

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...

were designed to study the effects of

radiation In physics, radiation is the emission or transmission of energy in the form of waves or particles through space or a material medium. This includes: * ''electromagnetic radiation'' consisting of photons, such as radio waves, microwaves, infr ...

mice A mouse (: mice) is a small rodent. Characteristically, mice are known to have a pointed snout, small rounded ears, a body-length scaly tail, and a high breeding rate. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse (''Mus musculus' ...

, quail embryos and some plant specimens. Studies on the effect of

microgravity Weightlessness is the complete or near-complete absence of the sensation of weight, i.e., zero apparent weight. It is also termed zero g-force, or zero-g (named after the g-force) or, incorrectly, zero gravity. Weight is a measurement of the fo ...

were also performed on the muscles and bones of

rat Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents. Species of rats are found throughout the order Rodentia, but stereotypical rats are found in the genus ''Rattus''. Other rat genera include '' Neotoma'' (pack rats), '' Bandicota'' (bandicoo ...

s and avian embryogenesis was studied in space. the effects of

on plant tissues were investigated using carrots and carrot cancerous tissue to study the effects of space flight on the growth and development of plants. As in the previous mission, 30 rats for the species ''

'' were sent physiological studies; Seven additional rats were used in embryological experiments.

References

Bibliography

* Kozlov, D. I. (1996), Mashnostroenie, ed.; ''Konstruirovanie avtomaticheskikh kosmicheskikh apparatov'', Moscow, ISBN * Melnik, T. G. (1997), Nauka, ed.; ''Voenno-Kosmicheskiy Sili'', Moscow, ISBN * "Bion' nuzhen lyudyam", ''Novosti Kosmonavtiki'', (6): 35, 1996

External links

Cosmos 1129
NASA Bion satellites Kosmos satellites Spacecraft launched in 1979 1979 in spaceflight 1979 in the Soviet Union Czechoslovakia–Soviet Union relations Romania–Soviet Union relations Hungary–Soviet Union relations Poland–Soviet Union relations France–Soviet Union relations Soviet Union–United States relations East Germany–Soviet Union relations {{USSR-spacecraft-stub

Mission

Objectives

See also

References

Bibliography

External links