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US Participation in the Russian Bion-M1 Mission: An Overview.  M. G. Skidmore, R. Boyle, and K.A. Souza.

Ames Research Center, BioSciences Div., Moffett Field, CA.

  NASA's participation in the Bion-M1 mission continues the 30-year history of collaborative research between NASA and the Russian Institute of Biomedical Problems (IMBP), Moscow. US and Russian investigators will again participate in joint and/or complementary biological experiments aimed at furthering our understanding of how life responds and adapts to the unique environment of space.

  NASA's scientific payload for Bion-M1 focuses on animal research, i.e., rodents, and the equipment to provide them with adequate housing, food, water and environmental control. NASA will provide four Animal Enclosure Modules (AEMs) to support rodents during the planned 30-day mission in low Earth orbit tentatively scheduled for launch in 2010. The AEMs have flown successfully over 20 Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif on the Space Shuttle and will be modified only slightly to meet the mounting requirements of the Bion-M1 spacecraft. Current plans anticipate the use of 12 mice or 5 rats per AEM.  The final number of animals, the species, strain(s), gender, age, and the ratio of AEMs with mice vs. those with rats, will depend on the proposals selected for flight.  Animals will be fed a solid diet that has been used successfully in previous spaceflights both within the AEMs and within the Research Animal Holding Facility.  Animals will be provided food and water ad libitum and lighting will be on a 12/12hr light/dark cycle that can be altered if required by flight investigators.

     The NASA/Russian collaborations for the Bion-M1 mission will primarily target the effects of spaceflight on the immune system. Studies in other areas of space biology and biomedicine will also be supported as part of a Biospecimen Sharing Plan.  NASA and the IMBP will share access to flight and ground equipment, facilities, specimens, measurement techniques, data collection tools, and procedures. IMBP and potentially other Russian institutes involved in the Bion-M1 mission, may provide laboratory space and logistical support for NASA investigators as they work together in an open, collaborative research environment.