SpaceX’s cargo Dragon spacecraft is set to deliver more than 5,800 pounds of science investigations, supplies, and equipment to the International Space Station as part of the company’s 25th commercial resupply services mission. Included in that delivery is a new climate research investigation: the Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation, or EMIT.
Developed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California, EMIT will use imaging spectroscopy technology to measure the mineral composition of dust in Earth’s arid regions to better understand what effects it has on the planet. NASA is planning to host a climate conversation that will air on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website at 2 p.m. EDT today, Wednesday, July 13, to discuss EMIT and some of the other climate-focused research that will be occurring aboard the orbiting laboratory.
Participants in the climate conversation include:
- Kate Calvin, NASA chief scientist and climate advisor
- Heidi Parris, associate scientist, International Space Station Program, NASA
- Mike Roberts, chief scientist, ISS National Lab
- Rob Green, JPL senior research scientist and EMIT principal investigator
- Paula do Vale Pereira, BeaverCube, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
A prelaunch media teleconference is planned for 8 p.m. EDT tonight, or approximately one hour after completion of the Launch Readiness Review. Audio of the teleconference will stream live on the agency’s website.
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft are scheduled to lift off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 8:44 p.m. EDT tomorrow, Thursday, July 14. Let people know you’re following the mission on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram by using the hashtags #Dragon and #NASASocial. You can also stay connected by following and tagging these accounts:
Twitter: @NASA, @NASAKennedy, @NASASocial, @Space_Station, @ISS_Research, @ISS National Lab
Facebook: NASA, NASAKennedy, ISS, ISS National Lab
Instagram: @NASA, @NASAKennedy, @ISSNationalLab