By akademiotoelektronik, 01/05/2022

SpaceX Crew-3 mission will bring more than 200 experiments to the ISS

At dawn this Sunday (31), from 03:21 (GMT), the launch of the Crew-3 mission will take place, the third manned flight to the International Space Station (ISS) carried out by SpaceX. The four astronauts debuting the new Dragon capsule, dubbed “Endurance” (Tenacity), will take with them more than 200 experiments to perform during their six-month stay in the orbital laboratory.

SpaceX is one of two commercial partners NASA has contracted to send its astronauts to the ISS – the other is Boeing, which has yet to launch astronauts in its Starliner capsule. A second (unmanned) Starliner test flight was scheduled to launch in August, but has been put on hold indefinitely as crews continue to try to fix the problem with the vehicle's propulsion system valves.

Raja Chari - who will command the mission -, NASA's Tom Marshburn and Kayla Barron, and European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Matthias Maurer will join the Expedition 65 crew already aboard the station spatial. This will be Chari, Barron and Maurer's first spaceflight.

NASA's new commercial crew program optimizes research time

“One of the benefits the relatively new Commercial Crew Program (CCP) brings to research on the ISS is being able to launch science alongside the crew,” said Johnson Space Center scientist David Brady. (JSC) of NASA, during a collective interview granted this Thursday. (28).

“And by being able to do that, we increase our ability to meet deadlines based on the needs of our researchers, which contributes to better science,” he added.

Brady points out that the program has the advantage of a faster turnaround time for experiments. "Another benefit of the CCP program is that it keeps the transport path close to the lab," he said. “For Dragon vehicles, the science is launched from Florida and then picked up off the coast of Florida, which is perfect for sending samples back to the lab. »

Some of the experiences SpaceX's Crew-3 mission will bring to the ISS

Among the hundreds of experiments will be new medical research that will help scientists here on Earth to fight against various diseases. In addition, space agencies around the world will be able to better understand how space affects the human body, so that they can adequately prepare astronauts for future long-term space trips to the Moon and Mars, for example.

According to Space, one of the scientific investigations involves an experiment conducted by the US National Cancer Institute. In the research, called Uniform Protein Crystal Growth (UPCG), tiny crystals of RNA (ribonucleic acid) will be grown in microgravity and then examined using a powerful light source to observe their three-dimensional shape.

Another experiment is to observe the impacts of improved space food on the health of astronauts, as part of a food physiology survey. Grace Douglas, principal scientist of NASA's Advanced Food Technology research effort, examines the impact of diet on the human response to gut microbiota and nutritional status during spaceflight.

"We wanted to start this experiment because when we look at current spaceflight, we learn a lot of things," she said. "And some of the things we've learned are that astronauts have changes in their immune system, such as dysregulation, reduced immune cell function, and bone and muscle loss. »

Also worth mentioning is an experiment involving the development of a software sensor called the Smartphone Video Guidance Sensor (SVGS), which can be used on multiple platforms to calculate the position and attitude of illuminated headlights.

"It's a very valuable way to provide navigational guidance and information when performing close-quarters maneuvers with small spacecraft, drones, or mobile robots," said Hector Gutierrez, a professor at the Florida Institute of Technology who worked with NASA's Marshall. Space Flight Center.

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