Kosmos 1129

Bion 5, also known as Kosmos 1129 (in Russian: Бион 5, Космос-1129) was a Bion satellite. It was an international biomedical research mission involving scientists from nine countries, launched on 29 September 1979, at 15:30:00 UTC. Among the experiments was the first attempt to breed mammals in space, which proved unsuccessful. The mission ended after 14.5 days, on 14 October 1979, at 02:24 UTC. The mission had the cooperation of the Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, France, Hungary, Poland, Romania, the United States and the Soviet Union.

Kosmos 1129

Conception of Bion 5 in orbit
Names	Bion-5 Biocosmos 5
Mission type	Bioscience
Operator	Institute of Biomedical Problems
COSPAR ID	1979-083A
SATCAT no.	11536
Mission duration	14 days, 10 hours and 54 minutes
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft type	Bion
Bus	Zenit 12KS
Manufacturer	TsSKB
Launch mass	6,000 kg (13,000 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date	29 September 1979, 15:30:00 UTC
Rocket	Soyuz-U
Launch site	Plesetsk 41/1[1]
Contractor	TsSKB
End of mission
Recovered by	Soviet Space Forces
Landing date	14 October 1979, 02:24 UTC
Landing site	52°17′N 65°30′E near Oktyabr'skoe, Kazakhstan, USSR
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric[2]
Regime	Low Earth orbit
Perigee altitude	226 km (140 mi)
Apogee altitude	406 km (252 mi)
Inclination	62.80°
Period	90.50 minutes
Bion programme ← Bion 4 Bion 6 → Kosmos (satellites) ← Kosmos 1128 Kosmos 1130 →

Mission

Organisms studied included:

• Rattus norvegicus (Wistar rat)^[3]
• Coturnix coturnix (Japanese quail)
• Daucus carota (carrot)

Objectives

Bion 5 mission consisted of various biological studies, including the first mammalian reproduction attempts (rats) in space, which ended up not succeeding. Experiences NASA were designed to study the effects of radiation on mice, quail embryos and some plant specimens.

Studies on the effect of microgravity were also performed on the muscles and bones of rats and avian embryogenesis was studied in space. the effects of microgravity on plant tissues were investigated using carrots and carrot cancerous tissue to study the effects of space flight on the growth and development of plants. As in the previous mission, 30 rats for the species Rattus norvegicus were sent physiological studies; Seven additional rats were used in embryological experiments.

See also

• Spaceflight portal

• 1979 in spaceflight