The International Space Station (ISS) will soon be getting a bunch of new cutting-edge science toys to play around with in microgravity.
SpaceX will be transporting the cargo aboard the company's Dragon resupply spacecraft that launched at 3:14 a.m. EDT Sunday on a Falcon 9 rocket from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The cargo's weight comes in at a total of 4,800 pounds and includes new experiments, supplies for the astronauts aboard the floating laboratory, and hardware.
The Dragon spacecraft will automatically dock with the ISS on Monday, August 30 and will stay at the ISS for around a month while astronauts aboard the lab remove the cargo and prepare for Dragon's separation. Below is what science is included in the cargo.
- REducing Arthritis Dependent Inflammation First Phase - Technology that measures the effects of microgravity on bone tissue for astronauts
- Retinal Diagnostics testing equipment - Equipment that takes images of astronauts' retinas to document progression of vision
- Nanoracks-GITAI Robotic Arm - A robotic arm designed by GITAI Japan Inc that will assist crew members
- Advanced Plant EXperiment-08 - Assists plants in growing in microgravity by reducing stress
- Faraday Research Facility - Assists in payload intergration
- Faraday Nanofluidic Implant Communication Experiment - Drug delivery system
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