On board the Dragon spacecraft there were 20 mice and 3D printer. Promise to be interesting experiments
A few days ago, NASA announced the start of the program Launch America. Its aim is manned flights into orbit, operated on behalf of the Agency by private companies. NASA’s original plans assumed self-support such flights, but later – after the resignation of rocket development program Ares I – decided to entrust this task several private companies, developing space technologies.
The choice fell on SpaceX and Boeing, and the contract stipulates that the first manned flight will depart into orbit in 2017. From the point of view of NASA is an important issue – when completed in 2011, the operation of the shuttle, the only way to deliver astronauts to orbit proved to cooperation with the Russians, with an in Soyuz ships. Ships private companies have to change and restore the ability to perform independent NASA missions.
Before this happens, the need for extensive testing for the spacecraft. One of them is the Dragon, developed by Elon Musk founded by company SpaceX. In addition to the test missions Dragon has already won three unmanned commercial flights with supplies for the International Space Station (ISS).
Space Mouse
The on-going, the fourth mission is – apart from delivering supplies – interesting targets. The first of these is associated with abnormal loads – on board the capsule because there were 20 laboratory mice of the species C57 Black 6 Although rodents were placed in orbit earlier on many occasions, this time in space will remain extremely long – up to 30 days, which is to allow observation of their behavior after getting used to a state of weightlessness.
experiment is to investigate the impact of the lack of gravity on the work of the various bodies and skeletal system of rodents. Because mice live for about two years, 30-day stay in orbit will be the equivalent of several years of mission performed by the crew of people. This will allow you to conduct key studies related to the planned, manned space missions that – eg. In case of a flight to Mars – will last much longer than the existing ones.
After 30 days, the mice are sacrificed and the frozen bodies hit the Earth in order to conduct thorough research.
3D Printing in orbit
Dragon deck also went 3D printer, which will take part in an experiment called 3D Printing in Zero- G Experiment. Its aim is to examine how specially prepared to operate in weightlessness printer can handle the creation of different subjects. The significance of this experiment is very important. Operation, the printer will protect the astronauts from the supply of certain parts – instead of transporting them from the earth and keep spare parts in orbit, much more practical if necessary, will produce them on board the ISS. But this is only one aspect of an ad hoc experiment.
The second is the use of 3D printers during long-term missions during the exploration of distant regions of space. Like the ISS, instead of transporting supplies of spare parts, more practical will take on board only the raw material and produce various items or parts as needed. If all goes according to plan (for now the mission is progressing smoothly) Dragon przycumuje to modules Harmony (Node 2) of the space station on Sept. 23 around 9 am Polish time.
Luke Michalik
gadżetomania.pl
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