The Dragon spacecraft is set to deliver more than 5,000 pounds of cargo to the International Space Station on CRS-5. Food, supplies and care packages for the station crew are on board, along with spacewalk equipment, Russian hardware and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency equipment, and vehicle hardware supporting several critical station systems, including the electrical power system and the Environmental Control and Life Support system.
Dragon also is carrying critical materials to support 256 science and research investigations that will occur during Expeditions 42 and 43. Studies conducted at the station benefit people on Earth as well as future explorers embarking on long-duration missions. During a briefing early last week at Kennedy Space Center, scientists and researchers discussed the studies headed for the station on this flight, such as research on the risks of in-flight infections in astronauts, as well as research on degenerative brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s. View the briefing here: