NASA Sends Full Roster of Experiments Aboard SpaceX's 26th Ride | Aero-News Network
Aero-News Network
RSS icon RSS feed
podcast icon MP3 podcast
Subscribe Aero-News e-mail Newsletter Subscribe

Airborne Unlimited -- Most Recent Daily Episodes

Episode Date

Airborne-Monday

Airborne-Tuesday

Airborne-Wednesday Airborne-Thursday

Airborne-Friday

Airborne On YouTube

Airborne-Unlimited-07.07.25

Airborne-NextGen-07.08.25

AirborneUnlimited-07.09.25

Airborne-AffordableFlyers-06.26.25

AirborneUnlimited-06.27.25

Fri, Nov 04, 2022

NASA Sends Full Roster of Experiments Aboard SpaceX's 26th Ride

From Tomatoes to Blood Tests, the ISS Resupply Will Keep 'Em Busy For a While

The latest Commercial Resupply Mission from SpaceX, slated for November 18th, is shaping up to have a full scientific manifest.

The flight will mark the 26th mission for the spacefaring contractor, delivering a few unusual research materials regarding nutrition and survival as they look to extend the food supply above. The first, an effort to grow fresh vegetables in space, has borne small yields of Red Robin Dwarf Tomatoes in the Veg-05 unit. Reportedly, they've been growing efficiently so far, paving the way for a fresh, nutritious, and palatable option aside from freeze-dried fare in the future.

“We are testing tomatoes, looking at the impacts of light spectrum on how well the crop grows, how delicious and nutritious the tomatoes are, and the microbial activity on the fruit and plants,” says Gioia Massa, NASA Life Sciences project scientist and VEG-05 principal investigator. “We also are examining the overall effect of growing, tending, and eating crops on crew behavioral health. All of this will provide valuable data for future space exploration.”

Medical nerds may remember prior projects to bolster diagnostic capability aboard the ISS, much like the upcoming Moon Microscope set for delivery later this month. The system will allow the ISS crew to use a compact microscope and sampling system in order to send hematology imagery back home for diagnosis, allowing for a higher standard of care that will be much more impossible when a return to earth is months away. During the experiment, NASA personnel will analyze stressors and immune responses in the crew to see how the system would work in an emergency. NASA stressed that the kit isn't being sent in response to any particular problem, merely what could happen in a far off future. 

“We do not have a profound clinical problem on the space station, but crew members do experience changes in their immune systems,” says NASA immunologist and principal investigator Brian Crucian. “During deep space missions, all stressors increase and our ability to care for the crew is reduced, a combination that could increase certain clinical risks. This project is designed to create a diagnostic laboratory capability that is highly miniaturized and compatible with microgravity and operational constraints. An ill crew member could perform the blood smear, imaging, and transmission of images in minutes.”

FMI: www.nasa.gov

Advertisement

More News

KidVenture Educational Activities Lineup At EAA AirVenture 2025

Youth Explore With Hands-On Builds, RC Airplanes, Flight Sims, Much More KidVenture is located just north of the EAA Aviation Museum, at Pioneer Airport, and has arranged a myriad >[...]

Aero-News: Quote of the Day (07.07.25)

“About nine decades ago, Amelia Earhart was recruited to Purdue, and the university president later worked with her to prepare an aircraft for her historic flight around the >[...]

Airborne 07.07.25: Sully v Bedford, RAF Vandalism, Discovery Moving?

Also: New Amelia Search, B737 Flap Falls Off, SUN ‘n FUN Unveiling, F-16 Record Captain Sully Sullenberger, the pilot who saved 155 people by safely landing an A320 in the Hu>[...]

Aero-News: Quote of the Day (07.08.25)

"It is critically important for North American flight safety that Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) violations are avoided. All pilots must familiarize themselves with updates to >[...]

Airborne-NextGen 07.08.25: Joby in Dubai, Army Electra, Archer iin Abu Dhabi

Also: Hackers v Aviation, Discovery Moving?, Gogo Galileo HDX, EVE to Costa Rica Joby Aviation announced its electric air taxi successfully completed a series of VTOL wingborne tri>[...]

blog comments powered by Disqus



Advertisement

Advertisement

Podcasts

Advertisement

© 2007 - 2025 Web Development & Design by Pauli Systems, LC