[Programme "BION": from the past to the future].

In the period when Russia had embarked on construction of long-duration orbital stations, few data was collected about potential damaging effects of space flight (SF) factors, first of all microgravity, on structure and functions of various tissues, organs and physiological systems. At the same time designers of space vehicles requested from doctors and biologists the scientific substantiation of the feasibility of long-term SF by humans. Recognizing the necessity of a comprehensive approach to the issue, it was decided to fulfill fundamental and applied biological investigations aboard dedicated satellites of the BION series. Implementation of Programme BION and development of associated equipment required cooperation of dozens of organizations. Later on, investigations from Bulgaria, Hungary, Germany, the Netherlands, Canada, China, Poland, Romania, USA, France and Czechoslovakia joined in the programme. Eleven biosats were launched successfully in the period between 1973 and 1986. Cell and tissues cultures, single-celled organisms, insects, fishes, amphibians, reptiles, bird eggs and mammals, such as Wistar rats and primates Macaca Rhesus, were flown in space 5 to 22.5 days. Data from these investigations helped, on the one hand, obtain further insight into the patterns of structural and functional reactions of living systems to the SF conditions and, on the other, contribute to finding practical solutions for the system of crew medical support. The Federal space research programme of Russia for 2006-2015 provides development and launch of 3 biosats BION-M. The paper presents conceivable scenarios of researches in these flights.