SpaceX makes supply run for NASA
American aeronautical company SpaceX launched several experiments into the space on December 5th on board its Dragon Capsule. The SpaceX Dragon is a reusable spacecraft used for delivering cargo. This is the 19th supply run made by the company for NASA and it was launched from Cape Canaveral. It delivered the following to the International Space Station:
- Might mice experiment: the capsule launched 40 mice to the ISS. Of these 8 were ‘mighty mice’ i.e. mice with twice the muscle mass of normal mice. The other mice will be subject to muscle building after or during the flight on board the ISS. This experiment is to contribute to developing therapies for the astronauts.
- Budweiser experiment: Anheuser Busch will be conducting experiments with barley grains. It will study how weightlessness affects barley germination and malt making.
- Robot Cimon: it is a robot heat with AI software for the purpose of providing assistance to the astronauts. It is made of plastic and was manufactured by 3D printing. It will operated on the ISS for 3 years. one of its key feature is the ability to show empathy towards the astronauts.
