Mice and Fruit Flies Return from Space: Bion-M №2 Exposes the Toll of Higher Radiation
On August 20, the biological satellite Bion-M №2 lifted off from Baikonur and spent about a month in a polar orbit before landing on September 19 in the steppes of the Orenburg region. The mission aims to study how living organisms endure spaceflight under elevated radiation—polar orbits expose organisms to roughly one-third more radiation than the International Space Station. The payload carried 25 containers, each holding three mice, with two Earth-based duplicates simulating the crew: one month of 75 rodents in a vivarium, and another 75 in a setup that replicates the spacecraft’s systems. The study seeks to understand how radiation and weightlessness affect life in space, a key step toward future human exploration.
In This Article:
Mission Overview: Pioneering a Polar-Orbit Study of Life in Elevated Radiation
The Bion-M №2 mission was designed to observe how living organisms cope with spaceflight in an environment where radiation levels are higher than those on the International Space Station. Launched from Baikonur on August 20, the satellite operated in a polar orbit and returned to Earth on September 19, landing in the steppes of the Orenburg region. On board were 25 containers with three mice each. To ensure rigorous science, two Earth-based duplicates were prepared: one in a vivarium and another in a facility that mimics the spacecraft’s systems.
The Payload and the Duplicates: 75 Rodents in Orbit, 150 on Earth
Inside the biosatellite, 25 containers housed three mice each. To strengthen the experiment, scientists established two Earth duplicates mimicking the crew’s environment: one in a vivarium and another in a setup that reproduces the spacecraft’s systems. Over roughly a month in space, 75 mice experienced the conditions there; on Earth, two parallel groups of 75 rodents each served as controls and comparative data.
Why It Matters: Informing the Next Wave of Human Space Exploration
Understanding how radiation and microgravity affect living organisms is crucial when planning longer, independent human missions beyond Earth. The Bion-M №2 results will help scientists anticipate risks, design better life-support systems, and determine how to protect crews on future journeys to the Moon, Mars, or beyond.
A Thread Through Time: Animals in Space from Belka and Strelka to Today
Humans have long used animals to probe the unknown of spaceflight. The record includes dogs Belka and Strelka, monkeys, rabbits, turtles, frogs, snails, fish, rats, guinea pigs, jellyfish, garden spiders, and even the microscopic tardigrades. The Bion-M №2 mission continues this lineage, expanding our understanding of life under radiation and microgravity as we prepare for longer, more ambitious journeys.
