Bion-10 ready for experiment integration

The Bion-10 spacecraft 2 days before launch. The spacecraft is surrounded by 3-storey yellow scaffolding. One of the two circular hatches that provides access to the capsule's interior has been opened. Russia's Bion-10 (Cosmos 2229) life sciences mission provided the opportunity for significant cooperation between ESA and Moscow's Institute of Biomedical Problems (IBMP). The satellite carried 10 joint ESA/IBMP experiments, with four of them inside ESA's new Biobox incubator. Bion was launched on 29 December 1992 from Plesetsk and recovered on 10 January 1993. [Image Date: 27-12-92] [98.08.002-009]