Results of Russian Program of Animal Migration Research Using Icarus Scientific Equipment Aboard the ISS RS

Abstract

The most important task of astronautics is monitoring and studying our planet. This task is accomplished using a large number of remote sensing satellites operating in a near-Earth orbit. In addition to remote sensing data, important information about our planet can be obtained from animal migration data. Billions of animals are constantly migrating around the globe. They consolidate the most outlying and remote regions on the land and in the ocean, and can provide valuable insights to evaluate ecological, epidemiological and other situations on our planet. To validate the technology of animals' and birds' movements tracking, a joint German-Russian project was set up on the International Space Station (ISS). The ISS is a perfect laboratory for on-orbit testing of equipment and various space technologies.The onboard equipment of the project was created under the Cooperation Agreement between the German Aerospace Center DLR and the state corporation Roscosmos. Under this Agreement, the Russian Uragan space experiment is combined with the ICARUS project (International Cooperation for Animal Research Using Space). Information from the ICARUS hardware is supplemented by data of Russian Uragan experiment using traditional Earth observation sensors on board the ISS. The two projects together enable scientists to make new discoveries about the life on our planet.The paper analyzes the experience of animal migration monitoring system validation on board the ISS RS, which incorporates the achievements of modern astronautics, satellite navigation, control technology and microelectronics. Scientific findings about animal and bird migrations are also briefly outlined.