NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 Concludes Space Station Scientific Mission
Science & Technology

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 Concludes Space Station Scientific Mission

Technology tamfitronics NASA astronauts Michael Barratt, Matthew Dominick, and Jeanette Epps and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin are returning to Earth after months aboard the International Space Station conducting scientific experiments and technology demonstrations for the agency’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission. The four launched on March 3 aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.Here’s a look at some scientific milestones accomplished during their mission:NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps extracts DNA for the Genomic Enumeration of Antibiotic Resistance in Space experiment, which surveys the station for antibiotic-resistant organisms and sequences their DNA to examine adaptations to space. Results could support development of measures to protect astronauts and people in buildings and facilities on Earth, such as hospitals, from resistant bacteria.NASA astronaut Mike Barratt processes samples for Human Brain Organoid Models for Neurodegenerative Disease &...
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Liftoff! NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 Launches to International Space Station
Science & Technology

Liftoff! NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 Launches to International Space Station

NASA Space Technology The two crew members of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission launched at 1:17 p.m. EDT Saturday, for a science expedition aboard the International Space Station. This is the first human spaceflight mission launched from Space Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, and the agency’s ninth commercial crew rotation mission to the space station.A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket propelled the Dragon spacecraft into orbit carrying NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov. The spacecraft will dock autonomously to the forward-facing port of the station’s Harmony module at approximately 5:30 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 29, where Hague and Gorbunov will join Expedition 72 for a five-month stay aboard the orbiting laboratory.“This mission required a lot of operational and planning flexibility. I congratulate the entire team on a successful launch today,...
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NASA’s Record-Breaking Laser Demo Completes Mission
Science & Technology

NASA’s Record-Breaking Laser Demo Completes Mission

NASA Space Technology NASA’s TBIRD (TeraByte InfraRed Delivery) demonstration and its host spacecraft — the PTD-3 (Pathfinder Technology Demonstrator-3) — have completed their technology demonstration. The TBIRD payload spent the past two years breaking world records for the fastest satellite downlink from space using laser communications.NASA’s PTD series leverages a common commercial spacecraft to provide a robust platform for effective testing of technologies with minimal redesign in between launches. After launch in May 2022 on the SpaceX Transporter 5 mission, the PTD-3 spacecraft entered low-Earth orbit and shortly after TBIRD began sending laser communications signals to an optical ground station in Table Mountain, California.TBIRD’s two-year demonstration showcased the viability of laser communications. Most NASA missions rely on radio frequency communication systems, however, laser communications use infrared light and can pack significantly more data in a...
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