Kosmos 2044

Bion 9 (Cosmos 2044) was a biomedical research mission involving nine countries (Soviet Union, Canada, Chekoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania, United Kingdom and United States) and European Space Agency. It was part of the Bion program.

Mission
Eighty experiments were conducted in such categories as motion sickness, reproduction and regeneration, immunology, and readaption to a normal gravity environment. A number of different biological specimens were used, including rodents.

The joint U.S./Soviet Union experiments were conducted on 2 rhesus monkeys and 10 male Wistar rats. The biological payload also included cell cultures (Escherichia coli). The prime occupants were two macaque monkeys. The 2.3m diameter descent sphere was successfully recovered after 14 days, but a failure in the thermal control system resulted in the deaths of some of the specimens.

Details

 * NSSDC ID: 1989-075A


 * Other Names
 * Biocosmos 9
 * Cosmos 2044
 * 20242


 * Launch Date/Time: 1989-09-15 at 06:30:00 UTC


 * On-orbit Dry Mass: 6000 kg