NASA Invites Media to Discuss Space Station Science, Experiments

Canadian Space Agency astronaut David Saint-Jacques is shown initializing the BioNutirents investigation by hydrating the growth packets onboard the International Space Station (ISS).
Canadian Space Agency astronaut David Saint-Jacques is shown initializing the BioNutirents investigation by hydrating the growth packets onboard the International Space Station (ISS).
Credits: NASA

NASA will host a media teleconference at 1 p.m. EST Wednesday, Nov. 9, to discuss the hardware, technology demonstrations, and science experiments headed to the International Space Station aboard SpaceX’s 26th commercial resupply mission for the agency.

Audio of the teleconference will be streamed live online at: https://www.nasa.gov/live.

SpaceX is targeting Friday, Nov. 18, to launch its Dragon cargo spacecraft atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

One of the payloads aboard the cargo flight is the Moon Microscope kit for in-flight medical diagnosis that includes a portable handheld microscope and a small self-contained blood sample staining device. This will allow astronauts to collect and stain a blood sample, obtain images with the microscope, and transmit images to the ground, where flight surgeons will use them to diagnose illnesses and prescribe treatments.

SpaceX’s Dragon also will deliver new science investigations, supplies, and equipment for the international crew, including the next set of International Space Station Roll Out Solar Arrays (iROSAs). It also will carry a study which will grow dwarf tomatoes as part of efforts to create a continuous fresh-food production system in space, and an experiment that tests an on-demand method to create specific quantities of key nutrients.

Teleconference participants include:

  • Kirt Costello, NASA’s chief scientist for the International Space Station Program Research Office, who will provide an overview of the research and technology launching aboard the Dragon spacecrafts
  • Gioia Massa, NASA’s space crop production scientist and principal investigator for the Veg-05 study
  • Matt Mickle, Boeing’s developmental projects senior manager, who will discuss International Space Station Roll Out Solar Arrays (iROSA)
  • Timothy Macaulay, CIPHER vestibular health study lead, an experiment which will use the newly launching Falcon Goggles tool
  • Mayra Nelman-Gonzalez, immunologist in NASA’s Johnson Space Center’s Immunology and Virology Laboratory and co-investigator for the Moon Microscope technology demonstration
  • John A. Hogan, chief of the bioengineering branch at NASA’s Ames Research Center and principal investigator for the BioNutrients-2 experiment
  • A representative for the Extrusion study sponsored by the ISS National Laboratory

To participate in the call, media must contact Lora Bleacher at least two hours prior to the start of the call for dial-in details at: lora.v.bleacher@nasa.gov. Media and the public can submit questions on social media using #AskNASA.

Cargo resupply by U.S. companies significantly increases NASA’s ability to conduct more investigations aboard the orbiting laboratory. Those investigations lead to new technologies, medical treatments, and products that improve life on Earth. Other U.S. government agencies, private industry, and academic and research institutions can also conduct microgravity research through our partnership with the ISS National Laboratory.

Humans have occupied the space station continuously since November 2000. In that time, 263 people and a variety of international and commercial spacecraft have visited the orbital outpost. It remains the springboard to NASA’s next great leap in exploration, including future missions to the Moon under Artemis and eventually Mars.

Members of the public can attend the launch virtually and receive mission updates. To participate, members of the public can register to stay up to date on mission information, mission highlights, and interaction opportunities.

For launch countdown coverage, NASA’s launch blog, and more information about the mission, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/spacex.

NASA Invites Media to SpaceX’s 26th Resupply Launch to Space Station

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Dragon capsule lifts off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 14, 2022, on the company’s 25th Commercial Resupply Services mission for the agency to the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 8:44 p.m. EDT. Dragon will deliver more than 5,800 pounds of cargo, including a variety of NASA investigations, to the space station. The spacecraft is expected to spend about a month attached to the orbiting outpost before it returns to Earth with research and return cargo, splashing down off the coast of Florida.
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Dragon capsule lifts off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 14, 2022, on the company’s 25th Commercial Resupply Services mission for the agency to the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 8:44 p.m. EDT. Dragon will deliver more than 5,800 pounds of cargo, including a variety of NASA investigations, to the space station. The spacecraft is expected to spend about a month attached to the orbiting outpost before it returns to Earth with research and return cargo, splashing down off the coast of Florida.
Credits: NASA

Media accreditation is open for SpaceX’s 26th commercial resupply mission for NASA to the International Space Station. Liftoff of the SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft on a Falcon 9 rocket is targeted no earlier than Friday, Nov. 18, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

SpaceX’s Dragon will deliver new science investigations, supplies, and equipment for the international crew, including the next pair of ISS Roll Out Solar Arrays (iROSAs). It also will carry a study to grow dwarf tomatoes to help create a continuous fresh-food production system in space, as well as an experiment that tests an on-demand method to create specific quantities of key nutrients.

Media prelaunch and launch activities will take place at Kennedy. Attendance for this launch is open to U.S. citizens. U.S. media must apply by 11:59 p.m. Monday, Nov. 7.

Media wishing to take part in person must apply for credentials at: https://media.ksc.nasa.gov.

Credentialed media will receive a confirmation email upon approval. For questions about accreditation or to request special logistical requests such as space for satellite trucks, tents, or electrical connections, please email by Wednesday, Nov. 9 to: ksc-media-accreditat@mail.nasa.gov. For other questions, please contact Kennedy’s newsroom at: 321-867-2468.

Para obtener información sobre cobertura en español en el Centro Espacial Kennedy o si desea solicitar entrevistas en español, comuníquese con Antonia Jaramillo at: antonia.jaramillobotero@nasa.gov or 321-501-8425.

Other studies launching include a test of a microscope with potential deep space applications and Engineered Heart Tisues-2 (EHT-2), a study of cardiac health. This experiment builds on an investigation of 3D cultures aboard the space station in 2020. The previous experiment detected changes at the cellular and tissue level that could provide early indication of the development of cardiac disease. This study tests whether new therapies could prevent these negative effects from occurring.

Cargo resupply by U.S. companies significantly increases NASA’s ability to conduct more investigations aboard the orbiting laboratory. Those investigations lead to new technologies, medical treatments, and products that improve life on Earth. Other U.S. government agencies, private industry, and academic and research institutions can also conduct microgravity research through our partnership with the ISS National Laboratory.

Humans have occupied the space station continuously since November 2000. In that time, 263 people and a variety of international and commercial spacecraft have visited the orbital outpost. It remains the springboard to NASA’s next great leap in exploration, including future missions to the Moon under Artemis, and ultimately, human exploration of Mars.

For more information about commercial resupply missions, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/commercialresupply.