Skip to main content

Check out some of the science heading to the ISS this month

SpaceX is launching another cargo mission to the International Space Station (ISS) later this month. The Dragon spacecraft will be packed with science experiments and supplies for the seven-strong crew living and working aboard the orbiting outpost.

NASA, which is overseeing the mission, this week posted a short video (below) highlighting a few of the dozens of experiments and other equipment that will be heading to the space station 250 miles above Earth.

Science Launching on SpaceX's 23rd Cargo Resupply Mission to the Space Station

The cargo will include a device to document the progression of Space-Associated Neuro-Ocular Syndrome, a known vision problem experienced by astronauts that’s caused by prolonged periods in microgravity conditions. The device could eventually function as a mobile retinal diagnostics tool for long-duration missions to Mars and beyond, and could also be used by health care providers on Earth.

Recommended Videos

Space station crew have been growing plants on the orbiting laboratory for many years as they research the best way to cultivate vegetables for extended stays in space. Scientists have learned that microgravity conditions cause plants a certain amount of stress that may impact their growth. With this in mind, NASA is sending an experiment that could offer insights into the mechanisms plants use to modulate the stress of microgravity and also help the space agency create plants better suited to such conditions. In addition, the experiment could improve scientists’ understanding of “the molecular mechanisms that allow plants to respond to general environmental stress on Earth, with impacts on agriculture, horticulture, and forestry,” according to principal investigator Patrick Masson of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

The space station also will take delivery of a robotic arm. Designed by space robotics startup GITAI Japan, the Nanoracks-GITAI Robotic Arm will be tested with a view to offering astronauts support with their various tasks aboard the station. NASA says that such a device could help to lower mission costs and enhance crew safety by allowing astronauts to hand potentially hazardous jobs to the robot. The technology could also be used on Earth for disaster relief, deep-sea excavation, and servicing nuclear power plants. “This technology demonstration is to show the world that the capabilities necessary for automation in space are finally available,” GITAI’s Toyotaka Kozuki said, adding, “It provides an inexpensive and safer source of labor in space, opening the door to the true commercialization of space.”

SpaceX will launch the cargo to the ISS on Saturday, August 28, with liftoff scheduled for 3:37 a.m. ET from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The event marks SpaceX’s 23rd cargo resupply mission to the station using its tried-and-tested Dragon spacecraft and workhorse Falcon 9 rocket.

To find out more about how astronauts work, rest, and play aboard the ISS, take a look at these videos made by former ISS crew members.

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
ISS astronauts enjoy front row seats for comet’s journey toward the sun
Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS as seen from the space station.

Two NASA astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) have been tracking the movement of a comet heading toward the sun and using the opportunity to capture some remarkable photos and footage.

ISS inhabitants Matthew Dominick and Don Pettit -- both already renowned for their impressive space-based photographic work -- have been monitoring comet C2023-A3 (also known as Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) for the past week or so and sharing their efforts on social media.

Read more
How to watch SpaceX’s Crew-9 launch to the ISS on Saturday
Crew-7's Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft on the launchpad.

[UPDATE: SpaceX has called off Thursday's launch attempt due to an approaching storm. It's now targeting 1:17 p.m. ET on Saturday, September 28.]

SpaceX and NASA are gearing up for the Crew-9 launch that will carry an American astronaut and a Russian cosmonaut to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft.

Read more
Polaris Dawn crew member describes the dramatic ride home
Crew Dragon Endeavour shortly before splashdown.

A crew member of SpaceX’s recent Polaris Dawn mission has described what it was like aboard the Crew Dragon spacecraft as it entered Earth’s atmosphere and hurtled toward Earth during the crew's high-speed homecoming last weekend.

Polaris Dawn’s Scott Poteet was responding to a stunning photo captured from the International Space Station (ISS) by NASA astronaut Don Pettit, which showed the Crew Dragon during its rapid descent at the end of a historic five-day mission that involved the first privately funded spacewalk.

Read more