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The SpaceX Dragon cargo ship, loaded with science experiments, a crate of wine and living mice, has made its first dive into the Atlantic Ocean, NASA has confirmed.
The spacecraft autonomously undocked from the International Space Station on Tuesday, January 12 after a 36-day stay attached to the orbiting laboratory.
Among the experiments on the ship are a case of Bordeaux wine, live mice and 3D printed buds that could one day produce human organs from stem cells.
A total of 4,400 pounds of scientific research and other merchandise splashed in the Gulf of Mexico off the west coast of Florida at 01:30 GMT this morning.
This photo provided by NASA shows SpaceX’s dragon detaching from the International Space Station on Tuesday, January 12, 2021
Previous SpaceX dragon cargo missions ended with a parachute-assisted splashdown in the Pacific, but this new version of the spacecraft is designed to land closer to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
This is where the space agency deals with science experiments conducted aboard the ISS – so it splashed out in the Atlantic Ocean for the first time.
SpaceX Dragon is designed to be a reusable spacecraft capable of safely delivering equipment and cargo to the ISS as well as returning science experiments to Earth.
“The upgraded Dragon cargo capsule used for this mission contains double the availability of motorized lockers from previous capsules, allowing for a significant increase in research that can be referred back to scientists,” NASA said.
“Some scientists will see their research reported quickly, four to nine hours after the screening.
This is the first time that science experiments from the space station have been able to return via Florida since the space shuttle ceased to operate in 2011.
This image shows some of the cargo that was loaded onto the Dragon ship as it first made its way to the ISS last year. It can hold more cold storage than the original Dragon
NASA astronaut Kate Rubins poses next to storage in the SpaceX CRS-9 freighter Dragon spacecraft in 2016. The new freighter spacecraft has more motorized storage, allowing for additional cold storage
To return to Earth, the experiments had to travel by capsule, helicopter, boat, plane and car before returning to the researchers who designed them.
“I’m excited to finally see science coming back here because we can get these time-sensitive experiments in the lab faster than ever before,” says Jennifer Wahlberg, Kennedy Space Center Utilization Project Manager.
“ Sending science into space and then receiving it back onto the track was definitely something back in the Shuttle era that we were really proud of, and being able to join that process is great. ”
As the spacecraft returns to Earth, the experiments begin to feel the effects of gravity again, NASA explained in a blog post.
There is a whole process to be done to bring the experiences of the floating capsule back to universities, businesses and other institutions.
NASA described the process, saying, “ After a SpaceX ship retrieves the capsule from the water, a standby team pulls critical time science out of the spacecraft and loads it onto a standby helicopter. .
“ The helicopter will deliver this science to land a few hours after the screenings. Any remaining science cargo will either return in a second helicopter load or stay on board the ship and be picked up in port.
The helicopter will land the experiments at the Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF), previously used for Space Shuttle return activities.
Next, a team will transport most of the cargo to the Kennedy Space Center (SSPF) space station processing facility by truck, where the science teams will wait.
“We’re going to have a parade of ready researchers at the Kennedy Space Center waiting to receive samples,” said Mary Walsh, manager of the Kennedy Research Integration Office use flight.
The spacecraft left the International Space Station on Tuesday and, after some delays, finally splashed around the Gulf of Mexico in the Atlantic Ocean this morning.
There is a lot to do to get science experiments back to scientists, this includes shipping them by boat, helicopter and car.
Traditionally used to prepare for space launch experiments, the SSPF is home to world-class laboratories that provide the tools and workspace to immediately collect data and analyze samples, the space agency explained.
“Scientists will take a quick glance for the first results and then send them back to their original bases,” says Wahlberg.
“The benefit of being able to observe science earlier is the ability to cancel any gravitational effect on research after it has been in space.
From the Kennedy Space Center hub, scientific samples and experiments will travel around the world to California, Texas, Massachusetts, Japan, etc.
The vast amount of science that returns to Earth on this mission is possible thanks to upgrades to the SpaceX cargo Dragon spacecraft, which doubled the motorized locker capacity of the company’s previous capsules.
The Rodent Research Equipment System is a back-to-Earth experience – it includes three modules: habitat (left), transporter (center), and animal access unit (right)
Another experiment saw a case of wine sent to the ISS to age in orbit for over a year – it will be tasted in February and studied for changes in bubble content.
On return, it can support up to 12 electric lockers, allowing more cold cargo and power to be transported for additional payloads.
“The old capsule was like a donut filled with cream. You wrapped it all around the walls and then in the middle we put a big, giant stack of bags, ”Walsh said.
“This upgraded cargo dragon looks more like a three story house. You put stuff in the basement, then you wrap that second story, then go upstairs and prepare the third story. So it’s really different from a design point of view.
The next SpaceX Dragon cargo mission will take place in May, and the Dragon crew capsule currently docked at the space station is expected to return its crew of four in May.
Before that, another Dragon crew spacecraft will be launched in March to send four more astronauts to the orbiting lab.
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