Recovery of the Foton-8 capsule near the Kazakh city of Kustanay on 24 October 1992. Shown is the ablative skin subjected to the direct heat of reentry. This flight included two embedded plates of new ablatives materials being tested for Germany's DLR. Foton-8 carried ESA's Biopan experiment facility, designed and manufactured for ESA by Kayser-Threde to open in orbit to expose experiments to the space environment. Foton and Bion recoverable satellites have, since 1987, regularly carried ESA payloads into orbit. ESA's Biobox, Biopan and FluidPac flight facilities were specifically designed for Bion/Foton missions. Foton-8 was launched on 8 October 1992 from Russia's northern Plesetsk cosmodrome. [Image Date: 24-10-92] [98.08.004-011]