Technology for studying movements of animals and birds on earth using ICARUS equipment on the Russian segment of the ISS

The paper reviews issues involved in the planned study of movements of animals and birds on Earth using ICARUS (International Cooperation for Animal Research Using Space) equipment on the Russian segment of the International Space Station (ISS RS). It discusses principal methods for studying animal migrations, their advantages and drawbacks. It provides an analysis of the existing transmitters for animal movement studies. It describes a procedure for conducting experiments with ICARUS scientific equipment onboard the ISS RS and its configuration. A general view of the tag attached to an animal is provided along with its performance data. It describes an approach to the integration of onboard equipment of the ICARUS system into ISS RS. Performance data for the ICARUS onboard equipment antennas are provided. It describes a sequence of steps for establishing connection between a tag and the onboard equipment. It provides a description of the Movebank databank for storing animal tracking data and its major functions. It discusses the tasks of studies using science equipment ICARUS which is of interest for space experiment Uragan, that is being run on the ISS RS. It provides examples of possible studies of animal movement and migration before natural disasters, study and monitoring of dessimination of virus infections dangerous for human beings that are transmitted by animals, and mitigation of the risk of collisions between birds and air vehicles.