NASA and its international partners are set to receive scientific research samples and hardware as a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft departs the International Space Station on Thursday, Dec. 5, for its return to Earth.
NASA will not stream the splashdown and will post updates on the agency’s space station blog.
For more than two decades, people have lived and worked continuously aboard the International Space Station, advancing scientific knowledge, and making research breakthroughs that are not possible on Earth.
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Learn more about the International Space Station at: https://www.nasa.gov/international-space-station -end- Claire O’Shea / Joshua Finch Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1100 claire.a.o’shea@nasa.gov / joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov
The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft is scheduled to leave the International Space Station on Thursday, December, delivering hardware and samples for scientific research to NASA and its international partners. 5. For its Earthly return.
At 10:50 a.m., NASA will start live coverage of the undocking and departure. M. EST via NASA+. Discover how to access NASA content on social media and other platforms.
The Dragon spacecraft is scheduled to disembark from the Harmony module’s forward port on the space station at 11:05 a.m. A. When SpaceX ground controllers give it the order, it will fire its thrusters to get a safe distance away from the station.
Once the spacecraft has returned to Earth’s atmosphere, it will splash down off the Florida coast. NASA will provide updates on the space station blog and will not stream the splashdown.
Arriving in orbit on Nov., the spacecraft was loaded with nearly 6,000 pounds of equipment, science research, and crew supplies. 5 days after its November launch. Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida launched four people on a Falcon 9 rocket for the agency’s SpaceX 31st commercial resupply services mission.
In order to benefit from the microgravity environment of the space station, Dragon will bring thousands of pounds of supplies and scientific experiments back to Earth. Researchers can gather data with little sample exposure to Earth’s gravity by splashing down off the coast of Florida, which makes it possible to transport the experiments quickly to NASA’s Space Systems Processing Facility at Kennedy Space Center.
GISMOS (Genes in Space Molecular Operations and Sequencing) is bringing scientific equipment and samples back to Earth. It successfully sequenced microbial DNA from the space station water system in orbit, providing the first in-depth examination of the water system’s microbial population. Furthermore, SpaceTED (Space Tissue Equivalent Dosimeter) gathers information on radiation exposure for the crew and describes the radiation environment in space before returning to Earth. The dosimeter, a technology demonstration created by students, successfully ran for 11 months on station, which is six months longer than planned due to its success.
Furthermore, two specimens created using the Metal 3D Printer of the European Space Agency (ESA) will be sent to researchers for analysis and post-processing. The specimens printed in microgravity and those printed on Earth will be compared by researchers. Demonstrating the ability to create test specimens and carry out metal deposition, or the layering of metals, in three dimensions under prolonged microgravity conditions is the aim. Researchers want to learn about crewed and remote instrument operations on a space habitat, as well as the capabilities and constraints of the selected technology.
The International Space Art and Poetry Contest is also making a comeback aboard spacecraft, inviting educators and students worldwide to submit poems, paintings, or drawings. Submissions of winning artwork were photographed in the cupola, printed on station, and will be sent back to their Earthly creators. Additionally, in order to comprehend the basic mechanisms that take place on a heated bubble surface, Plasmonic Bubbles researchers will view high-speed video of bubble behavior in microgravity. The findings could advance our knowledge of how molecules are deposited on bubble surfaces and improve detection techniques used in the environmental and medical sectors.
People have been living and working on board the International Space Station continuously for more than 20 years, generating scientific discoveries and advancing knowledge that would not be possible on Earth. The station serves as a vital testbed for NASA’s efforts to better comprehend and address the difficulties associated with long-duration spaceflight and to increase low-Earth orbit commercial opportunities. In order to prepare for upcoming human missions to Mars, NASA is allocating more resources to deep space missions to the Moon as part of its Artemis campaign, while commercial companies concentrate on offering human space transportation services and destinations as part of a thriving low Earth orbit economy.
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The website is https://www.nasa.gov/international-space-station.
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Joshua Finch’s Claire O’Shea.
Washington, headquarters.
(202) 358-1100.
Clarie. One. Joshua: o’shea@nasa . gov. NASA.gov/a . finch.
