On January 29, 2025, Chairman of the Presidium of the NAS of Belarus Vladimir Gusakov met with a participant in the International Project SIRIUS 23, a staff scientist of the Institute of Physical and Organic Chemistry of the NAS of Belarus Olga Mastitskaya. Olga spoke about her participation in this project and presented the results of the experiments that she conducted within the framework of SIRIUS 23, and also answered numerous questions from young scientists who attended the meeting.

Chairman of the Presidium of the NAS of Belarus Vladimir Gusakov highly praised the work of Olga Mastitskaya and noted that participation in the SIRIUS 23 project is very important for the National Academy of Sciences. "Belarus is a full-fledged participant in space exploration. The Academy of Sciences has projects on space exploration for peaceful purposes with many countries. We are ready to participate in all space research projects," Vladimir Gusakov emphasized.

Chairman of the Presidium of the NAS of Belarus Vladimir Gusakov presented the badge of the NAS of Belarus “the Great Medal of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus” to Olga Mastitskaya, a staff scientist of the Institute of Physical and Organic Chemistry of the NAS of Belarus. Olga was awarded the high prize for her successful participation in the long-term international isolation scientific experiment “SIRIUS 23” and fruitful work in presenting the achievements of the NAS of Belarus.

The international project SIRIUS was conducted from November 14, 2023 to November 14, 2024, at the Institute of Biomedical Problems of the RAS and included a series of isolation experiments to simulate deep space flights. Six participants in the project SIRIUS-23 set off on a year-long "flight" after the hatch of the institute's experimental facility was closed. The scientific program included experiments by scientists from the Republic of Belarus. Olga Mastitskaya was responsible for the implementation of experiments with the participation of Belarusian scientists. Olga Mastitskaya's program included more than 60 researches. Scientists from the Institute of Meat and Dairy Industry of the NAS of Belarus, the Institute of Microbiology of the NAS of Belarus, the Scientific and Practical Center for Animal Husbandry of the NAS of Belarus, the Institute of Experimental Botany, and the Institute of Physiology took part in these researches.

Information: The international project SIRIUS (Scientific International Research In Unique Terrestrial Station) is being conducted at the Institute of Biomedical Problems of the RAS and includes a series of isolation experiments to simulate space flights. The goal of the project is to study human psychology and performance in conditions of extended isolation in order to support future research on the International Space Station, as well as to reduce risks in promising space research missions.