NASA Successfully Launches Three Smartphone Satellites

NASA logo.

April 22, 2013

Three smartphones destined to become low-cost satellites rode to space Sunday aboard the maiden flight of Orbital Science Corp.'s Antares rocket from NASA's Wallops Island Flight Facility in Virginia.

The trio of "PhoneSats" is operating in orbit, and may prove to be the lowest-cost satellites ever flown in space. The goal of NASA's PhoneSat mission is to determine whether a consumer-grade smartphone can be used as the main flight avionics of a capable, yet very inexpensive, satellite.

NASA PhoneSat 1.0

Transmissions from all three PhoneSats have been received at multiple ground stations on Earth, indicating they are operating normally. The PhoneSat team at the Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif., will continue to monitor the satellites in the coming days. The satellites are expected to remain in orbit for as long as two weeks.

"It's always great to see a space technology mission make it to orbit -- the high frontier is the ultimate testing ground for new and innovative space technologies of the future," said Michael Gazarik, NASA's associate administrator for space technology in Washington.

"Smartphones offer a wealth of potential capabilities for flying small, low-cost, powerful satellites for atmospheric or Earth science, communications, or other space-born applications. They also may open space to a whole new generation of commercial, academic and citizen-space users."

PhoneSat 1.0 design

Satellites consisting mainly of the smartphones will send information about their health via radio back to Earth in an effort to demonstrate they can work as satellites in space. The spacecraft also will attempt to take pictures of Earth using their cameras. Amateur radio operators around the world can participate in the mission by monitoring transmissions and retrieving image data from the three satellites. Large images will be transmitted in small chunks and will be reconstructed through a distributed ground station network. More information can found at: http://www.phonesat.org

NASA's off-the-shelf PhoneSats already have many of the systems needed for a satellite, including fast processors, versatile operating systems, multiple miniature sensors, high-resolution cameras, GPS receivers and several radios.

NASA engineers kept the total cost of the components for the three prototype satellites in the PhoneSat project between $3,500 and $7,000 by using primarily commercial hardware and keeping the design and mission objectives to a minimum. The hardware for this mission is the Google-HTC Nexus One smartphone running the Android operating system.

PhoneSat 1.0 assembly

NASA added items a satellite needs that the smartphones do not have -- a larger, external lithium-ion battery bank and a more powerful radio for messages it sends from space. The smartphone's ability to send and receive calls and text messages has been disabled.

Each smartphone is housed in a standard cubesat structure, measuring about 4 inches square. The smartphone acts as the satellite's onboard computer. Its sensors are used for attitude determination and its camera for Earth observation.

For more about information about NASA's Small Spacecraft Technology Program and the PhoneSat mission, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/smallsats

The PhoneSat mission is a technology demonstration project developed through the agency's Small Spacecraft Technology Program, part of NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate. The directorate is innovating, developing, testing and flying hardware for use in future science and exploration missions. NASA's technology investments provide cutting-edge solutions for our nation's future. For more information about NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/spacetech

Images, Text, Credit: NASA.

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Facing Enceladus

NASA / ESA - Cassini Mission to Saturn patch.

22 April 2013

 Facing Enceladus

A patchwork network of frozen ridges and troughs cover the face of Enceladus, Saturn’s most enigmatic of icy moons.

This face-on colour view of Enceladus was taken by the international Cassini spacecraft on 31 January 2011, from a distance of 81 000 km, and processed by amateur astronomer Gordan Ugarković.

Saturn’s imposing gravitational pull massages the moon’s icy shell, buckling it into ridges that tower over deep fractures.

The cavernous scar towards the south, which may plunge to depths of a kilometre, cuts across other features, indicating its relative youth. By contrast, the cratered region to the north, which is split in two by a vast swath of grooved terrain, hints at a much older surface that has so far escaped the resurfacing experienced elsewhere.

Enceladus is a moon bursting at the seams: along the southern hemisphere, plumes of ice particles mixed with water vapour, salts and organic material jet from fissures nicknamed ‘tiger stripes’.

Some of the plumes pump their spray into space at speeds of over 2000 km/h, injecting particles into Saturn’s E-ring.

The chemistry of the plumes suggests that there may be a liquid ocean hidden beneath the moon’s surface that could provide a suitable habitat for life.

Cassini spacecraft Enceladus flyby

A thin crescent of Enceladus is illuminated by incident sunlight coming from the right hand side of this frame, including sunlight that has been reflected by Saturn onto the moon.

The Cassini–Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, ESA and ASI, the Italian space agency. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, Washington DC, USA.

Related links:

At Saturn and Titan: http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Cassini-Huygens

Cassini-Huygens in depth: http://sci.esa.int/huygens

Images, Text, Credits: ESA / NASA / JPL-Caltech / SSI / G. Ugarković.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

NASA Partner Orbital Sciences Test Launches Antares Rocket

NASA / ORBITAL - Antares A One Mission patch.

April 21, 2013

 The Antares rocket clears the launch pad on its way to orbit. Credit: NASA

NASA commercial space partner Orbital Sciences Corporation Sunday launched its Antares rocket at 5:00 p.m. EDT from the new Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport Pad-0A at the agency's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.

Successful Launch for Antares

The test flight was the first launch from the pad at Wallops and was the first flight of Antares, which delivered the equivalent mass of a spacecraft, a so-called mass simulated payload, into Earth's orbit.

"Today's successful test marks another significant milestone in NASA's plan to rely on American companies to launch supplies and astronauts to the International Space Station, bringing this important work back to the United States where it belongs," said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden. "Congratulations to Orbital Sciences and the NASA team that worked alongside them for the picture-perfect launch of the Antares rocket. In addition to providing further evidence that our strategic space exploration plan is moving forward, this test also inaugurates America's newest spaceport capable of launching to the space station, opening up additional opportunities for commercial and government users.

The Cygnus spacecraft is designed to carry cargo and experiments for ISS. Image credit: NASA

"President Obama has presented a budget for next year that ensures the United States will remain the world leader in space exploration, and a critical part of this budget is the funding needed to advance NASA's commercial space initiative. In order to stop outsourcing American space launches, we need to have the President's budget enacted. It's a budget that's good for our economy, good for the U.S. Space program -- and good for American taxpayers."

The test of the Antares launch system began with the rocket's rollout and placement on the launch pad April 6, and culminated with the separation of the mass simulator payload from the rocket.

The completed flight paves the way for a demonstration mission by Orbital to resupply the space station later this year. Antares will launch experiments and supplies to the orbiting laboratory carried aboard the company's new Cygnus cargo spacecraft through NASA's Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract.

"Today's successful test flight of Orbital Sciences' Antares rocket from the spaceport at Wallops Island, Virginia, demonstrates an additional private space-launch capability for the United States and lays the groundwork for the first Antares cargo mission to the International Space Station later this year," said John Holdren, director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy. "The growing potential of America's commercial space industry and NASA's use of public-private partnerships are central to President Obama's strategy to ensure U.S. leadership in space exploration while pushing the bounds of scientific discovery and innovation in the 21st century. With NASA focusing on the challenging and exciting task of sending humans deeper into space than ever before, private companies will be crucial in taking the baton for American cargo and crew launches into low-Earth orbit.

Antares description. Image credit: Orbital

"I congratulate Orbital Sciences and the NASA teams at Wallops, and look forward to more groundbreaking missions in the months and years ahead."

Orbital is building and testing its Antares rocket and Cygnus spacecraft under NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program. After successful completion of a COTS demonstration mission to the station, Orbital will begin conducting eight planned cargo resupply flights to the orbiting laboratory through NASA's $1.9 billion CRS contract with the company.

NASA initiatives, such as COTS, are helping to develop a robust U.S. commercial space transportation industry with the goal of achieving safe, reliable and cost-effective transportation to and from the International Space Station and low-Earth orbit. NASA's Commercial Crew Program also is working with commercial space partners to develop capabilities to launch U.S. astronauts from American soil in the next few years.

For more information about the upcoming Orbital test flights, and links to NASA's COTS and Commercial Crew programs, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/orbital

For information on Orbital's Antares launch vehicle, visit: http://www.orbital.com/Antares

Images, Text, Video, Credits: NASA / Trent J. Perrotto / Johnson Space Center / Josh Byerly / Orbital Sciences Corp.

Best regards, Orbiter.ch

CME Headed Toward Planet Mercury

NASA - STEREO Mission logo / NASA / ESA - SOHO Mission patch.

April 21, 2013

The same region of the sun erupted with another coronal mass ejection (CME) at 3:54 a.m. on April 21, 2013. Experimental NASA research models show the CME left the sun at speeds of 550 miles per second. The models show that the CME will also pass by NASA’s Messenger and the flank of the CME may graze STEREO-A. The Messenger and STEREO mission operators have been notified. There may be some particle radiation associated with this event, which in the worst case scenarios can impact computer electronics on board interplanetary spacecraft. If warranted, operators can put spacecraft into safe mode to protect the instruments from the solar material.

(Click on the image for enlarge)

This image of a coronal mass ejection (CME) was captured at 7:30 a.m. EDT on April 20, 2013. The CME is headed in the direction of Mercury. The large bright spot on the left is Venus. Credit: ESA & NASA / SOHO.

On April 20, 2013, at 2:54 a.m. EDT, the sun erupted with a coronal mass ejection (CME), a solar phenomenon that can send billions of tons of solar particles into space that can affect electronic systems in satellites. Experimental NASA research models show that the CME left the sun at 500 miles per second and is not Earth-directed. However, it may pass by NASA's Messenger and STEREO-A satellites, and their mission operators have been notified. There is, however, no particle radiation associated with this event, which is what would normally concern operators of interplanetary spacecraft since the particles can trip computer electronics on board. When warranted, NASA operators can put spacecraft into safe mode to protect the instruments from the solar material.

What is a solar flare? What is a CME?

For answers to these and other space weather questions, please visit the Spaceweather Frequently Asked Questions page: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/spaceweather/index.html

Related Links:

View Past Solar Activity: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/multimedia/Solar-Events.html

Image (mentioned), Text, Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center / Karen C. Fox.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

Spacewalkers Deploy Plasma Experiment, Install Navigational Aid

ISS - International Space Station patch / ISS - Expedition 35 Mission patch.

April 19, 2013

Image above: International Space Station Expedition 35 flight engineers Pavel Vinogradov and Roman Romanenko of the Russian Federal Space Agency. Image Credit: NASA TV.

Two members of the Expedition 35 crew wrapped up a 6-hour, 38 minute spacewalk at 4:41 p.m. EDT Friday to deploy and retrieve several science experiments on the exterior of the International Space Station and install a new navigational aid.

Russian Flight Engineers Pavel Vinogradov and Roman Romanenko opened the hatch to the Pirs airlock and docking compartment to start the spacewalk at 10:03 a.m.

Image above: Flight Engineer Roman Romanenko's helmet camera captured this view of Flight Engineer Pavel Vinogradov during Friday's spacewalk. Credit: NASA TV.

The spacewalkers' first task was to install the Obstanovka experiment on the station's Zvezda service module. Obstanovka will study plasma waves and the effect of space weather on Earth's ionosphere.

While at the far end of Zvezda, Vinogradov and Romanenko replaced a faulty retro-reflector device, one of a suite of navigational aids that will provide assistance to the European Space Agency's Albert Einstein Automated Transfer Vehicle 4 cargo ship during its final approach for an automated docking to the space station in June.

Russian Spacewalk Underway outside International Space Station

After deploying a pair of sensor booms for Obstanovka, Vinogradov and Romanenko retrieved the Biorisk experiment from the exterior of Pirs. The Biorisk experiment studied the effect of microbes on spacecraft structures.

For their final task, the two spacewalkers translated to the Poisk module to retrieve one of two Vinoslivost Materials Sample Experiment panels from the Poisk module. As Vinogradov was removing the panel, it slipped out of his grasp and was irretrievable. The trajectory the panel took will move it away from the space station with no chance of the two making contact.

This image of Flight Engineer Roman Romanenko participating in Friday's spacewalk was posted on Twitter by Flight Engineer Tom Marshburn. Credit: NASA.

This was the 167th spacewalk in support of space station assembly and maintenance, totaling 1,055 hours, 39 minutes. Vinogradov's seven spacewalks total 38 hours, 25 minutes. Romanenko completed his first spacewalk.

This was the first of as many as six Russian spacewalks planned for this year. Two U.S. spacewalks are scheduled in July.

During Friday’s spacewalk, Flight Engineers Alexander Misurkin and Chris Cassidy were restricted to their Soyuz TMA-08M spacecraft and the Poisk module to which it is docked. This is a standard procedure during Russian spacewalks as hatches are closed to protect the remainder of the station while still providing crew members access to their Soyuz vehicles.

Image above: Commander Chris Hadfield performs maintenance on the Waste and Hygiene Compartment. Credit: NASA TV.

Commander Chris Cassidy and Flight Engineer Tom Marshburn, whose Soyuz TMA-07M spacecraft is docked to Rassvet module, had a freer run of the station, including the Zarya module and all modules on the U.S. side of the station. While Vinogradov and Romanenko performed their spacewalk outside the station, Hadfield and Marshburn continued scientific research and maintenance activities inside.

Marshburn delved into his first onboard session with the BP Reg, a Canadian medical experiment that seeks to understand the causes of fainting and dizziness seen in some station astronauts upon return to Earth. BP Reg collects data before, during and after the mission using inflatable cuffs attached to the legs. The experiment will not only help understand dizziness in astronauts, but also have direct benefits for people on Earth – particularly those predisposed to falls and resulting injuries, as seen in the elderly.

In this image made from video provided by NASA, Russian Cosmonauts Pavel Vinogradov, left, and Roman Romanenko perform a spacewalk outside the International Space Station to gather old science experiments and install new ones, and replace a navigation device. Image credit: NASA TV.

Read more about BP Reg from the Canadian Space Agency: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/608.html

Marshburn also collected data from NanoRacks and transferred the data to a laptop computer. NanoRacks provides microgravity research facilities for small standardized payloads aboard the station.

Flight Engineer Roman Romanenko works outside the Pirs docking compartment shortly after the start of the spacewalk. Credit: NASA TV.

Hadfield retrieved acoustic dosimeters that Cassidy deployed throughout the station Thursday and downloaded the data from these devices to track the noise levels that crew members are exposed to.

Hadfield also performed some maintenance on the Waste and Hygiene Compartment, one of the toilets aboard the station. The commander rounded out his workday loading software on a laptop computer associated with EXPRESS rack 8. Each of the eight EXPRESS racks aboard the complex provides simple, standard interfaces to accommodate up to ten small payloads, resulting in a total capability to operate up to 80 experiments.

Image above: Russian Cosmonauts Pavel Vinogradov, left, and Roman Romanenko perform a spacewalk outside the International Space Station. Image credit: NASA TV.

Read more about EXPRESS racks: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/608.html

Over the weekend, the Russian crew members will spend some time drying out their Orlan spacesuits and stowing the tools used in Friday’s spacewalk. All six crew members will participate in weekly housekeeping tasks and enjoy some off-duty time to rest and catch up with friends and family back on Earth.

Read more about Expedition 35: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition35/index.html

Images (mentioned), Video, Text, Credits: NASA / NASA TV.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

Herschel and Hubble see the Horsehead in new light

ESA / NASA - Herschel Exploring the Cold Universe patch / ESA - Hubble Space Telescope patch.

19 April 2013

New views of the Horsehead Nebula and its turbulent environment have been unveiled by ESA’s Herschel space observatory and the NASA/ESA Hubble space telescope.

Herschel’s view of the Horsehead Nebula and surrounds

The Horsehead Nebula lies in the constellation Orion, about 1300 light-years away, and is a popular target for amateur and professional astronomers alike. It sits just to the south of star Alnitak, the easternmost of Orion’s famous three-star belt, and is part of the vast Orion Molecular Cloud complex.

Zooming in on the Horsehead

The new far-infrared Herschel view shows in spectacular detail the scene playing out around the Horsehead Nebula at the right-hand side of the image, where it seems to surf like a ‘white horse’ in the waves of turbulent star-forming clouds.

Hubble’s view of the Horsehead Nebula

It appears to be riding towards another favourite stopping point for astrophotographers: NGC 2024, also known as the Flame Nebula. This star-forming region appears obscured by dark dust lanes in visible light images, but blazes in full glory in the far-infrared Herschel view.

Intense radiation streaming away from newborn stars heats up the surrounding dust and gas, making it shine brightly to Herschel’s infrared-sensitive eyes.

Zooming in on the Horsehead (3D)

The panoramic view also covers two prominent sites of massive star formation to the northeast (left-hand side of this image), known as NGC 2068 (or M78) and NGC 2071. These take on the appearance of beautifully patterned butterfly wings, with long tails of colder gas and dust streaming away.

Both are reflection nebulas, so called because they reflect the light of nearby stars, revealing them even at visible wavelengths.

Visible and infrared views of the Horsehead Nebula

Extensive networks of cool gas and dust weave throughout the scene in the form of red and yellow filaments, some of which may host newly forming lightweight stars.

The new Hubble view, taken at near-infrared wavelengths with its Wide Field Camera 3 to celebrate the 23rd anniversary of the launch of the observatory, zooms in on the Horsehead to reveal fine details of its structure.

Zooming in on the Horsehead Nebula (2D)

Nearby stars illuminate the backlit wisps along the upper ridge of the nebula in an ethereal glow. The harsh ultraviolet glare from these bright stars is slowly evaporating the dusty stellar nursery. Two fledgling stars have already been exposed from their protective cocoons, and can just be seen peeking out from the upper ridge.

The Horsehead Nebula in new light

These latest views are also presented in a new fly-through animation, which puts the Horsehead in context and shows it at both visible and infrared wavelengths. The new views from Herschel and Hubble are complemented by ground-based images from other telescopes.

Note for Editors:

The Herschel image was obtained as part of a wider study of the Orion B region for the Herschel Gould Belt Survey, a guaranteed-time key programme of the mission. The image is a composite of individual images made at wavelengths of 70 microns (blue), 160 microns (green) and 250 microns (red).

A paper describing these results “What determines the density structure of molecular clouds? A case study of Orion B with Herschel,” by N. Schneider et al., is published in Astrophysical Journal Letters, 766, L17, April 2013.

The Hubble Space Telescope image depicts the Horsehead Nebula at near-infrared wavelengths of 1.1 microns (blue/cyan) and 1.6 microns (red/orange). It was photographed by the Wide Field Camera 3 to mark the 23rd anniversary of its launch on the Space Shuttle in April 1990. Wide Field Camera 3 was installed on the space telescope by astronauts during the 2009 servicing mission.

Images, Text, Credits: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team (AURA/STScI); ESO/Videos: NASA, ESA, the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA); G. Bacon, T. Borders, L. Frattare, Z. Levay, and F. Summers (Viz 3D team, STScI); ESO.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

Bion-M1 with a crew of duplicate mice into orbit

ROSCOSMOS - Bion M1 Mission patch.

April 19, 2013

 Soyuz-2.1a launch

April 19, 14 hours, 00 minutes. MSK from Launch Complex 31, site Baikonur calculations of rocket launchers and space industry Russia conducted a successful launch Vehicle (ILV) "Soyuz-2.1a," designed to the orbit of the Russian scientific spacecraft (SC) "Bion-M" number 1.

Soyuz 2-1A - Bion M1 Launch - April 19, 2013

Spacecraft "Bion-M" was created under the Federal Space Program and is designed for orbital flight in basic and applied research in space biology, physiology and biotechnology with the return of the results of experiments on Earth (under "Research in the field of space biology"). In accordance with the mission spacecraft must spend 30 days in orbit.

Together with the spacecraft "Bion-M" were brought into orbit six small satellites (ICA) of domestic and foreign production standard «CubeSat»:

- MCA "AIST" (HNP RCC "TsSKB-Progress", the Russian Federation);

- ICA «BeeSat-2", "VeeSat W», «SOMP» (Germany);

- ICA «DOVE-2" (United States);

- ICA «G.O.D. Sat »(South Korea).

Cubesat deployment pods on top of the Bion-M1 satellite

All ICA attached to the outer surface of the spacecraft "Bion-M-1" and will be transferred to the autonomous flight through separation systems in the period from the 4th to the 35th round.

Within one month space flight on a spacecraft "Bion-M" went 45 mice, 15 geckos, 8 Mongolian gerbils, 20 snails, and plants and their seeds. "Bion-M" into orbit from Baikonur led carrier rocket "Soyuz-2.1a." The spacecraft rocket in Samara Space Center was referred to as "Noah's Ark".

Together with the spacecraft, "Bion-M" rocket "Soyuz-2.1a" put into orbit six small satellites AIST, three German satellite - BeeSat-2, Beesat-3, SOMP, American Dove-2 (USA) and South Korean GODSat. "Bion-M" will be launched into orbit altitude of 575 km and an inclination of 65 degrees. Return of the device is planned for May 18. Place a touchdown - the Orenburg region, ITAR-TASS reported.

Before the start of the crew of the future astronauts mice had a conflict in which one of the crew members died tailed Space Explorers. As a result, the entire crew of 45 mice was removed from the flight and replaced by a group of mice-doubles.

Mongolian Gerbil

"In the space flying males are prone to stress and aggression. Had a conflict in which one of the animals died. This resulted in the complete replacement of one group of mice," - said the representative of the Institute of Biomedical key problems.

Biosatellites launch was planned for May 2012. But the start was moved to the fall because of the unavailability of the machine. But the fall run "Bion-M" was not possible, because the return of "bioturistov" on Earth would have taken place in the coldest time of the year.

A month flight aboard the "Bion-M" will be held more than 70 experiments. The research will be divided into two groups. The purpose of the first - study the effects of weightlessness and space flight factors on intracellular changes. The second group of experiments will focus on the study of the effects of space on living organisms of ionizing radiation, as well as testing of new methods and tools for space dosimetry.

Bion M1 animal facility

The program of experiments on "BION-M" is unique. "For the first time in the world we will be able to carry out physiological studies, not only during orbital flight, but also on the most critical and complex stages: during start and landing," - said the deputy director of the Institute of Biomedical Problems (IBMP), Russian Academy of Sciences Valery Boyarintsev.

The emphasis in the new project, unlike the previous two launches a series of "Bion" will be on the study of the processes occurring at the molecular and genetic levels, whereas previously studied processes at the level of tissues, organs and the body as a whole.

Bion M1 description (in Russian)

"Now it will attempt to descend to the level of cells, molecules and genes that penetrate more deeply into the nature of the surgery, the changes that occur in the body in space flight," - said the chief researcher at the Institute of Biomedical Problems Yevgeny Ilyin.

The most interesting will be the research that will be useful for future interplanetary missions. "Of course, the most interesting are the experiments on mammals, it is - experiments in mice and Mongolian gerbils. They are both from a scientific point of view and in terms of improving the application of the system of medical support manned missions are the most important," - said Yevgeny Ilyin.

Bion M1

Previous scientific apparatus with animals on board the "Foton-M" flew into space six years ago. It was launched on 14 September 2007 and returned to Earth after 12 days. On board the "Photon-M" in spaceflight visited 12 Mongolian gerbils, mice, 20 newts, five lizards, 20 snails and thousands of micro-organisms, as well as pupae of butterflies, caterpillars, silkworms and cockroaches.

Upgraded unit "Bion-M" structurally consists of a descent module, equipment module, for hosting provides the equipment and the sealed container with the chemical power sources.

Satellite "Bion-M" is designed for orbital flight in basic and applied research on space biomedicine and biotechnology with the return of the results of experiments on Earth. Experiments conducted on the satellite will contribute to the improvement of medical care and long-term manned flight of human activities in extreme conditions.

Mass of the satellite, "Bion-M" is 6300 pounds, the weight of scientific equipment - up to 900 pounds. In this case, up to 700 pounds of payload placed inside the lander and 200 pounds - outside.

Lifetime spacecraft with animals on board - up to 30 days.

Roscosmos Press Release: http://www.federalspace.ru/main.php?id=2&nid=20043

Images, Video, Text, Credits: ROSCOSMOS PAO / ROSCOSMOS TV / TsSKB Progress / ITAR-TASS / Translation: Orbiter.ch Aerospace.

Best regards, Orbiter.ch