Kosmos 936

Kosmos 936
Conception of Bion 4 in orbit
NamesBion 4
Biocosmos 4
Mission typeBioscience
OperatorInstitute of Biomedical Problems
COSPAR ID1977-074A
SATCAT no.10172
Mission duration18 days, 11 hours and 4 minutes
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft typeBion
BusZenit 12KS
ManufacturerTsSKB
Launch mass4,000 kg (8,800 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date3 August 1977, 14:01:00 UTC
RocketSoyuz-U
Launch sitePlesetsk 43/3
ContractorTsSKB
End of mission
Recovered bySoviet Space Forces
Landing date22 August 1977, 01:05 UTC
Landing site51°53′N 61°30′E / 51.883°N 61.500°E / 51.883; 61.500 (Bion 4 spashdown)
near Kustanay, Kazakhstan, USSR
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric
RegimeLow Earth orbit
Perigee altitude224 km (139 mi)
Apogee altitude419 km (260 mi)
Inclination62.80°
Period90.70 min

Kosmos 936 or Bion 4 (Бион 4, Космос 936) was a Bion satellite. The mission involved nine countries in a series of biomedical research experiments. The experiments were primarily follow-ups to the Bion 3 (Kosmos 782) flight. Scientists from the Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, France, Hungary, Poland, Romania, the United States and the Soviet Union conducted experiments in physics and biology on the mission.