Capsule Completes Second Trip To ISS, Returning Cargo, Experiments

When a SpaceX Dragon capsule splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on Sunday afternoon (local time), it marked another historic first for the commercial space company.

The Dragon was returning from its second trip to the International Space Station. It was the first time that a spacecraft has made two round trips to the ISS since the shuttle program ended in 2011.

NASA reports that Expedition 52 astronauts Jack Fischer and Peggy Whitson of NASA released the SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft from the International Space Station’s robotic arm at 2:41 a.m. EDT. Dragon’s thrusters were fired to move the spacecraft a safe distance from the station before SpaceX flight controllers in Hawthorne, California, commanded its deorbit burn. The capsule will splashed down at 8:12 (EDT) a.m. in the Pacific Ocean, where recovery forces retrieved the capsule and its more than 4,100 pounds of cargo. This cargo includes science from human and animal research, biotechnology studies, physical science investigations and education activities.

A variety of technological and biological studies are returning in Dragon. The Fruit Fly Lab-02 experiment seeks to better understand the effects of prolonged exposure to microgravity on the heart. Flies are small, with a well-known genetic make-up, and age rapidly, making them good models for heart function studies. This experiment could significantly advance understanding of how spaceflight affects the cardiovascular system and could help develop countermeasures to help astronauts.

Samples from the Systemic Therapy of NELL-1 for osteoporosis will return as part of an investigation using rodents as models to test a new drug that can both rebuild bone and block further bone loss, improving crew health. When people and animals spend extended periods of time in space, they experience bone density loss, or osteoporosis. In-flight countermeasures, such as exercise, prevent it from getting worse, but there isn’t a therapy on Earth or in space that can restore bone density. The results from this ISS National Laboratory-sponsored investigation is built on previous research also supported by the National Institutes for Health and could lead to new drugs for treating bone density loss in millions of people on Earth.

The Cardiac Stem Cells experiment investigated how microgravity affects stem cells and the factors that govern stem cell activity. The study focuses on understanding cardiac stem cell function, which has numerous biomedical and commercial applications. Scientists will also look to apply new knowledge to the design of new stem cell therapies to treat heart disease on Earth.

The Dragon spacecraft launched June 3 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from historic Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and arrived at the station June 5.

This particular Dragon capsule first flew to ISS in 2014, according to the report. It was refurbished before it was launched again this year. SpaceX plans to continue to work towards reducing the turnaround time for Dragon spacecraft as well as Falcon 9 boosters.

(Source: NASA news release. NASA image from file)

FMI: www.spacex.com, www.nasa.gov