Leonard David's INSIDE OUTER SPACE

Artwork depicts Russia’s Bion-M No. 2 in Earth orbit.
Image credit: Roscosmos/Inside Outer Space screengrab

Russia’s Bion-M No. 2 is ready for departure at the Baikonur Cosmodrome.

It is a “Noah’s Ark” of space, loaded with 75 mice, over 1,000 fruit flies, cell cultures, microorganisms, plant seeds, and other items.

Departure time is August 20, at 1:13 AM U.S. Eastern Time aboard a Soyuz 2.1a booster.

Zero gravity: as quickly as possible

Roscosmos notes that specialists are making final preparations at the launch complex. Due to the flying of the biological samples, no more than 72 hours should pass from the moment the spacecraft is closed. “The task is to get into zero gravity as quickly as possible,” the Russian space agency adds.

Image credit: Roscosmos

Bion-M No. 2 is to be rocketed into a nearly circular orbit at an inclination of roughly 97 degrees, a pole-to-pole orbit, remaining in space for 30 days.

That orbit will increase the level of cosmic radiation by at least an order of magnitude compared to that on the Bion-M No. 1 spacecraft launched back in April 2013, placed in a different orbit and also flying for 30 days.

Bion-M No. 2 being prepared for departure. Image credit: Roscosmos

Deep space data

According to Russia’s Institute of Medical and Biological Problems (IBMP), Bion-M No. 2 is flying to obtain data, such as:

— Data on effects of microgravity and radiation susceptibility and damage to living beings in the environment of real deep space.

— General data applicable to the medical support of future space flights.

— Data on biological outcomes of space effects applicable to the general Earth medicine.

At the end of the 30 day mission, Bion-M No. 2’s menagerie of specimens is to parachute back to a Russian landing zone, touching down in the steppes of the Orenburg Region.

Return of Bion-M No. 1 in 2013..
Image credit: Roscosmos/IBMP/O. Voloshin