ИСТИНА

Among the innovations of the Bion-M 1 mouse experiments was in-flight video surveillance of each of the small, cylindrical habitats that housed three, male C57 mice. Post-flight datasets from the Flight (F) and Ground Control (GC) groups comprised >2,400 30-min video segments captured during both light and dark portions of the 30-day mission. Video quality declined precipitously in the Flight habitats, with clear visibility available in <10% of the segments by the beginning of the 2nd wk. Adaptation to microgravity was evident in a gradual decline in wall contact and increased use of the habitat volume. The three deaths (all in the F group) and injuries sustained by mice (some in each group) appear related to persistent aggregation against the wall of the habitat where food was presented via a mechanism with a moving part. Video records revealed no fighting or agonistic behavior among these unrelated, prescreened and selected male mice. Speces-typical, amicable social behaviors began to emerge as the animals adapted to flight conditions. Post-flight air-righting tests of vestibular function suggested sustained alterations in mice from F group in relation to GC mice.