Russian cosmonauts to experiment with propeller-driven drone on ISS

Russian cosmonauts will carry out an experiment on controlling a drone driven by a propeller on board the International Space Station, Alexander Bloshenko, a science advisor to the Roscosmos's chief, told Sputnik on Wednesday.

The experiment has been introduced intothe program, Bloshenko said. During experiments withthe propeller-driven drone, it is first planned towork outthe design ofits body and propulsion system. Based onresults received, a second drone will be developed, designed towork inouter space. Tests withthe drones are planned tolast until2023.

Russian cosmonauts will be also growing duckweed onboard the International Space Station, according toRoscosmos.

Continuing previous biological research, we will have, forexample, the duckweed experiment. We will grow duckweed, see how weightlessness and other factors ofspace flight affect it. We will constantly take pictures ofit, record the changes and then send the results toEarth, Alexei Ovchinin, Russian cosmonaut, said inan interview published earlier byRussia's Gagarin Research Test Cosmonaut Training Center.

Duckweed is a flowering aquatic plant that floats onthe surface ofstill or slow-moving bodies ofwater.

Earlier inMarch, the Soyuz MS-12 spacecraft has successfully docked tothe International Space Station, bringing a new crew tothe orbital outpost. The current ISS crew comprises Russian cosmonaut and Commander Oleg Kononenko, Russian cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin, Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques and US astronauts: Anne McClain, Nick Hague and Christina Koch.

(SPUTNIK)