The World - News from March 26, 1987

The Soviet Union plans to launch a spacecraft crammed with animals, plants and microorganisms on a two-week mission designed to develop a self-sustaining food source for cosmonauts on interplanetary journeys, a Soviet scientist said. Oleg Gazenko, director of the Institute of Medical and Biological Problems, told Radio Moscow that the launch will take place later this year, probably in the fall. Gazenko did not say what type of animals will be placed aboard the satellite. The Soviets say they may attempt a manned flight to Mars as early as 1999.