posted 10-29-2024 05:25 PM               

SpaceX CRS-31 Mission Overview

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the CRS-31 Dragon spacecraft to deliver cargo to and from the International Space Station for NASA.

The 11th flight under NASA's Commercial Resupply Services-2 contract with SpaceX, the CRS-31 Dragon will carry research, logistics and hardware for the Expedition 72 crew including:

• CODEX (COronal Diagnostic EXperiment) to examine and create a global data set to help scientists validate theories for what heats the solar wind.

• ARTEMOSS to study how live Antarctic moss, Ceratodon purpureus, tolerates exposure to radiation and to examine its response to the combination of cosmic radiation and microgravity.

• The Euro Material Ageing investigation from ESA (European Space Agency) to study how certain materials age while exposed to space.

• Nanolab Astrobeat to investigate using cold welding to repair perforations in the outer shell or hull of a spacecraft from the inside.

The CRS-31 Dragon (C208) previously flew on the CRS-21, CRS-23 CRS-25 and CRS-28 flights. It will return to Earth with research and cargo after spending about four weeks at the space station.

posted 11-04-2024 09:24 PM               

NASA Science, Cargo Launch on 31st SpaceX Resupply Mission to Station

Following a successful launch of NASA's SpaceX 31st commercial resupply mission, new scientific experiments and cargo for the agency are bound for the International Space Station.

The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, carrying more than 6,000 pounds of supplies to the orbiting laboratory, lifted off at 9:29 p.m. EST Monday, on the company's Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The spacecraft is scheduled to autonomously dock at approximately 10:15 a.m. to the forward port of the space station's Harmony module.

The resupply mission will support dozens of research experiments conducted during Expedition 72. In addition to food, supplies, and equipment for the crew, Dragon will deliver several new experiments, including the Coronal Diagnostic Experiment, to examine solar wind and how it forms. Dragon also delivers Antarctic moss to observe the combined effects of cosmic radiation and microgravity on plants. Other investigations aboard include a device to test cold welding of metals in microgravity and an investigation that studies how space impacts different materials.

These are just a sample of the hundreds of investigations conducted aboard the orbiting laboratory in the areas of biology and biotechnology, physical sciences, and Earth and space science. Such research benefits humanity and lays the groundwork for future human exploration through the agency's Artemis campaign, which will send astronauts to the Moon to prepare for future expeditions to Mars.

The Dragon spacecraft is scheduled to remain at the space station until December when it will depart the orbiting laboratory and return to Earth with research and cargo, splashing down off the coast of Florida.

posted 11-05-2024 09:39 AM               

Dragon docks to space station

SpaceX's CRS-31 Dragon spacecraft docked to the forward-facing port of the International Space Station's Harmony module on Tuesday (Nov. 5) at 9:52 a.m. EST (1452 GMT).

posted 12-16-2024 10:55 AM               

Dragon undocks from space station

The CRS-31 Dragon undocked from the forward port of the Harmony module at the International Space Station following a command from SpaceX ground controllers at 11:05 a.m. EST (1605 GMT) on Monday (Dec. 16).

After re-entering Earth's atmosphere, the spacecraft will make a parachute-assisted splashdown off the coast of Florida on Tuesday.

Dragon is carrying back to Earth supplies and scientific experiments designed to take advantage of the space station's microgravity environment.

Scientific hardware and samples returning to Earth include GISMOS (Genes in Space Molecular Operations and Sequencing), which successfully conducted in-orbit sequencing of microbial DNA from the space station water system, and marked the first real look at the microbial population of the water system. In addition, SpaceTED (Space Tissue Equivalent Dosimeter) returns to Earth after collecting data on crew radiation exposure and characterizes the space radiation environment. The dosimeter is a student-developed technology demonstration and effectively operated for 11 months on station – six months longer than intended because of its success.

Two specimens printed with ESA's (European Space Agency) Metal 3D Printer, will go to researchers for post-processing and analysis. Researchers will compare the specimens printed in microgravity with those printed on Earth. The goal is to demonstrate the capability to perform metal deposition, or the layering of metals, in 3D under sustained microgravity conditions and manufacture test specimens. Researchers aim to understand the performance and limitations of the chosen technology and become familiar with crewed and remote operations of the instrument onboard a space habitat.

Also returning on spacecraft is the International Space Art and Poetry Contest, which invited students and educators around the world to submit drawings, paintings, or poems. Winning art submissions were printed on station, photographed in the cupola, and will be returned to their creators on Earth.

posted 12-17-2024 07:46 PM               

Dragon splashes down in Gulf

At 1:39 p.m. EST (1839 GMT) on Tuesday (Dec. 17), SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft splashed down off the coast of Florida, marking the return of the company's 31st commercial resupply services (CRS-31) mission to the International Space Station for NASA.