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Scientists rehearse for Foton mission


Preparing biology experiments
 
Preparing biology experiments for the Foton M3 mission in the new microgravity lab at ESTEC, in Noordwijk, The Netherlands. Foton M3 is scheduled for launch in September 2007. The unmanned capsule will spend 12 days orbiting the Earth exposing it's payload of experiments to microgravity. At the end of the mission the capsule will re-enter Earth's atmosphere to land in the border zone between Russia and Kazakhstan.

Foton automated
 
Foton-M spacecraft becomes fully automated after injection into orbit

Preparing Foton experiments
 
Preparing biology experiments for the Foton M3 mission in the new microgravity lab at ESTEC, in Noordwijk, The Netherlands. Foton M3 is scheduled for launch in September 2007. The unmanned capsule will spend 12 days orbiting the Earth exposing it's payload of experiments to microgravity. At the end of the mission the capsule will re-enter Earth's atmosphere to land in the border zone between Russia and Kazakhstan.

Corrective action
 
Sample tray eOsteo
 
Sample tray for the eOsteo experiment for the unmanned Foton M3 mission.

Foton M3 is scheduled to launch from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazahkstan in September 2007. The capsule will spend 12 days orbiting the Earth before re-entering the Earth's atmosphere and landing in the border zone between Russia and Kazakhstan.



Release date: 19 June 2007