SpaceX successfully delivers squid and tardigrades to ISS for NASA
Ripe avocados and nifty roll-out solar panels also reach the International Space Station via the CRS-22 cargo mission.
Baby squid doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo are going to the ISS.
SpaceX made a special delivery to the International Space Station on Saturday morning. A Falcon 9 rocket and Cargo Dragon spacecraft had a picture-perfect launch on Thursday for the company's 22nd commercial resupply mission for NASA. The Cargo Dragon arrived and docked with the ISS over the weekend.
There weren't any humans aboard the Dragon capsule, but there are glow-in-the-dark baby squid and tiny tardigrades, which can survive under extreme circumstances. Scientists will study the tardigrades, also known as water bears, to see how they survive and reproduce on the ISS.
The young bobtail squid are part of a study on symbiotic relationships between the animals and microbes. Scientists are curious how spaceflight will affect the relationship.
NASA TV and SpaceX carried live coverage of the launch Thursday, with liftoff happening on time at 10:29 a.m. PT. The Falcon 9's first stage landed on a SpaceX droneship in the Atlantic Ocean and will be reused for a future mission. SpaceX tweeted videos of the dramatic liftoff and the first-stage booster landing.
Liftoff! pic.twitter.com/hFhQBHhalx
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) June 3, 2021
The critters on Dragon are just a small part of the 7,300 pounds (3,300 kilograms) of supplies, research gear and hardware delivered to the ISS. NASA astronaut Megan McArthur tweeted on Saturday about receiving ripe avocados and peppers in the shipment.
Started the day monitoring Cargo Dragon approach with @astro_kimbrough. Rewarded with fresh food after a day of unpacking and new science! (Ripe avocados and peppers! Thank you Space Food Systems Lab!) pic.twitter.com/2lup6NdVpz
— Megan McArthur (@Astro_Megan) June 5, 2021
Another notable item on board is the ISS Roll-out Solar Array (aka iROSA), innovative solar panels designed by Redwire that roll out like a red carpet. NASA previously tested the idea in 2017 and iROSA is now ready to become a part of the ISS power system.
SpaceX is on an extended run ferrying both cargo and humans to the ISS as a NASA commercial partner. A lot of new SpaceX equipment was part of the CRS-22 flight, including a fresh Falcon 9 rocket booster and a new cargo spacecraft.
The Cargo Dragon will stay in residence at the ISS for about a month before returning to Earth with a load of science experiments and hardware.
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