Fwd: Dragon Returns NASA Science from Space Station

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From: "Gary Johnson" <gjohnson144@comcast.net>
Date: May 19, 2014 2:04:07 PM CDT
To: "Gary Johnson" <gjohnson144@comcast.net>
Subject: FW: Dragon Returns NASA Science from Space Station

 

 

From: Rick Hashimoto [mailto:1rick.hashimoto1@gmail.com]
Sent: Monday, May 19, 2014 11:04 AM
To: undisclosed-recipients:
Subject: Dragon Returns NASA Science from Space Station

 

 

May 18, 2014

RELEASE 14-139

 

SpaceX Dragon Spacecraft Returns Critical NASA Science from Space Station

SpaceX's Dragon cargo spacecraft splashed down at 3:05 p.m. EDT Sunday, in the Pacific Ocean, approximately 300 miles west of Baja California, returning more than 3,500 pounds of NASA cargo and science samples from the International Space Station.

A boat will carry the Dragon spacecraft to a port near Los Angeles, where it will be prepared for a return journey to SpaceX's test facility in McGregor, Texas, for processing. Some cargo, including a freezer packed with research samples collected aboard the space station, will be removed at the port in California and returned to NASA within 48 hours.

"The space station is our springboard to deep space and the science samples returned to Earth are critical to improving our knowledge of how space affects humans who live and work there for long durations," said William Gerstenmaier, associate administrator for human exploration and operations. "Now that Dragon has returned, scientists can complete their analyses, so we can see how results may impact future human space exploration or provide direct benefits to people on Earth."

Investigations included among the returned cargo could aid in better understanding the decreased effectiveness of antibiotics during spaceflight while also improving antibiotic development on Earth. Others could lead to the development of plants better suited for space and improvements in sustainable agriculture.

The T-Cell Activation in Aging experiment, which also launched to space aboard Dragon, seeks the cause of a depression in the human immune system while in microgravity. The research could help researchers develop better protective measures to prevent disease in astronauts.

Dragon is the only space station resupply spacecraft capable of returning large amounts of cargo to Earth. The spacecraft lifted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida April 18, carrying approximately 5,000 pounds of supplies and science investigations to the space station. The mission was the third of at least 12 cargo resupply trips SpaceX plans to make to the space station through 2016 under NASA's Commercial Resupply Services contract.

For more information about the International Space Station, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/station

For more information about SpaceX's mission, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/spacex

For more information about the International Space Station, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/station

-end-
 

Rachel Kraft
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
rachel.h.kraft@nasa.gov

Dan Huot
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
daniel.g.huot@nasa.gov

 

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American cargo spacecraft Dragon splashes down in the Pacific off California

 

May 19, 0:38 UTC+4
The capsule splashed down at pre-calculated time at 12:05, local time

 

© EPA/NASA

LOS ANGELES, May 19, 0:24 /ITAR-TASS/. The American cargo spacecraft Dragon has returned to Earth on Sunday upon completing a mission to the International Space Station (ISS). The pilotless capsule splashed down in the Pacific off the coast of California.

According to American SpaceX Company, which had developed the spacecraft, the capsule splashed down at pre-calculated time at 12:05, local time.

"Splashdown confirmed," SpaceX controllers stated. "Welcome home, Dragon!"

At the splashdown point, ships chartered by the SpaceX awaited the capsule in order to bring it to a port located not far from Los Angeles.

The Dragon had been launched into space on April 18 by means of the Falcon-9 rocket from the US Air Force base next to the space port on Cape Canaveral, Florida. The spacecraft had delivered almost 2.5 tonnes of food, prime necessities, a new spacesuit and materials for scientific experiments to the ISS. On its return flight, the spacecraft brought more than 1.5 tonnes of cargo, including the results of science experiments, a faulty spacesuit and various equipment.

An agreement between NASA and SpaceX provides for 12 missions for the delivery of supplies to the ISS. The contract is estimated at $1.6 billion.

The Dragon is the world's only reusable commercial spacecraft.

 

© Copyright 2014 ITAR-TASS. All rights reserved. 

 

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Dragon mission ends with splashdown in Pacific Ocean
BY STEPHEN CLARK
SPACEFLIGHT NOW
May 18, 2014

Packed with refrigerated science samples, spacesuit hardware and other gear from the International Space Station, a commercial Dragon cargo craft owned and operated by SpaceX concluded a 30-day mission Sunday with a parachute-assisted splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

Artist's concept of a Dragon spacecraft descending under parachutes. Photo credit: SpaceX
 
The closing chapter of the automated supply ship's mission began early Sunday with its detachment from the space station's Harmony module. Grappled by the space station's robotic arm, the Dragon spacecraft was maneuvered from its berthing location to a release point about 30 feet beneath the complex.

At the controls of the robot arm inside the space station's cupola module, astronaut Steve Swanson gave the command to release the 12-foot-diameter spaceship at 9:26 a.m. EDT (1326 GMT) to begin the trip back to Earth.

Swanson and cosmonaut Alexander Skvortsov monitored the Dragon's departure as a series of rocket firings placed the spacecraft on course to a safe distance from the space station.

Sunday's departure was the first time a spacecraft had been released from the station's robotic arm with only one U.S. astronaut present on the outpost.

"Thanks to everybody who worked this Dragon mission," Swanson radioed from the space station. "It went very well, and I appreciate that tremendously. It's also very nice to have a vehicle that can take your science equipment, and maybe some day even humans, back to Earth. Thank you all."

The gumdrop-shaped Dragon space capsule was loaded with about 1.7 tons of cargo, scientific research samples and other gear for the return to Earth.

The items coming back to Earth with SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft include freezers and refrigerated bags containing blood and urine samples, plus experiments which examined drug-resistant bacteria in space, DNA damage to human cells in microgravity and the use of sustainable agriculture as a food source for long-duration space crews.

A spacesuit in need of repair is also strapped inside the Dragon cargo craft, along with water samples NASA says it needs to complete an investigation into why an astronaut's helmet filled with water during a spacewalk last year.

"The space station is our springboard to deep space and the science samples returned to Earth are critical to improving our knowledge of how space affects humans who live and work there for long durations," said William Gerstenmaier, associate administrator for human exploration and operations. "Now that Dragon has returned, scientists can complete their analyses, so we can see how results may impact future human space exploration or provide direct benefits to people on Earth."

Ground controllers at SpaceX's headquarters in Hawthorne, Calif., prepared the spaceship for re-entry by closing a door over Dragon's rendezvous sensors and grapple fixture.

A deorbit burn using the craft's Draco rocket engines began around 2:12 p.m. EDT (1812 GMT), according to SpaceX, reducing the height of the craft's perigee, or low point in its orbit, to allow it to drop into the atmosphere for a scorching re-entry.

The ship jettisoned an unpressurized trunk module and its electricity-generating solar panels a few minutes later before diving into the atmosphere heading northwest-to-southeast over the Pacific Ocean.

A specialized ablative heat shield developed by NASA and SpaceX shielded the Dragon spacecraft from temperatures reaching up to 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit on its hypersonic approach to a landing zone about 310 miles off the coast of Baja California.

After deploying three 116-foot-diameter parachutes, the Dragon capsule gently descended into the eastern Pacific Ocean at 3:05 p.m. EDT (1905 GMT). SpaceX technicians were on standby on boats near the landing zone to recover the spacecraft and ferry it to port in Long Beach, Calif., where it is due to arrive by early Tuesday.

The mission patch for the third space station cargo mission flown by SpaceX. Photo credit: SpaceX
 
SpaceX will hand over time-sensitive cargo inside the capsule to NASA once the spacecraft arrives at Long Beach. The company plans to transport the Dragon to SpaceX's test facility in McGregor, Texas, for post-flight processing and safing.

The commercially-built Dragon logistics transporter was developed in a public-private partnership between NASA and SpaceX, which has a $1.6 billion contract for 12 cargo missions to the space station through 2016.

The mission that ended Sunday was the third of the 12 resupply missions contracted to SpaceX.

The Dragon spacecraft arrived at the International Space Station on April 20 after a two-day pursuit of the complex following its April 18 liftoff on a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Fla.

The cargo craft delivered 4,600 pounds of supplies, logistics and experiments, which were unloaded from Dragon's pressurized compartment by astronauts. Two experimental packages mounted inside Dragon's external trunk section were removed by Dextre, the station's robotic handyman.

Ground controllers guided Dextre and the robotic arm to place the experiment boxes on their new homes outside the space station. One of the experiments is a high-definition camera suite, which is streaming live video footage of Earth online for viewing by the public. The other payload is an optical laser communications terminal to demonstrate high-bandwidth data transfers between the space station and a ground antenna on Earth.

The space station's crew installed approximately 3,563 pounds of cargo into the Dragon spacecraft in place of the fresh supplies it took to the complex.

The items tagged for return to Earth included more than 1,600 pounds of science and research hardware, nearly 1,200 pounds of crew and vehicle supplies, and 627 pounds of spacewalk tools.

The Dragon is the only spacecraft in the space station's fleet of visiting vehicles capable of returning significant sums of equipment to Earth. The Soyuz crew vehicle has limited capacity to bring cargo back to Earth, while other resupply freighters flown by Russia, Japan, the European Space Agency and U.S.-based Orbital Sciences Corp. dispose of trash in destructive falls back into the atmosphere at the ends of their delivery missions.

SpaceX's next resupply flight to the space station is set for launch in August, while a fresh three-man crew of U.S., Russian and German space fliers is readying for liftoff May 28 on a Soyuz spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

 

© 2014 Spaceflight Now Inc.

 

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AmericaSpace

For a nation that explores
May 18th, 2014

 

Splashdown! SpaceX Dragon Comes Home After Month-Long ISS Jaunt

By Emily Carney

 

SPLASHDOWN! SpaceX's Dragon cargo capsule lands in the Pacific Ocean, ending the successful month-long CRS-3 mission to the International Space Station (ISS) on Sunday, May 18. Photo from SpaceX's Facebook page

The SpaceX Dragon Commercial Resupply Services (CRS)-3 mission came to a successful conclusion Sunday, May 18, when the capsule hurtled back to Earth, and splashed down approximately 300 miles west of Baja, California, at 3:05 p.m. EDT (1905 GMT). The spacecraft returned home with over 3,500 pounds of cargo, including a freezer loaded with science experiments performed on the International Space Station (ISS).

The ship began its trip home from the ISS at 9:26 a.m. (1326 GMT) when it was released from the orbital outpost, where it had been berthed since Sunday, April 20. ISS Commander, U.S. astronaut Steve Swanson, gave the command to release the spacecraft, while RSA cosmonaut and ISS flight engineer Aleksandr Skvortsov assisted in monitoring.

SpaceX's CRS-3 mission began on Friday, April 18, with its launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's SLC-40. Photo by Alan Walters/AmericaSpace

This Dragon's trip began with its launch aboard a Falcon 9v1.1 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's (CCAFS) Launch Complex 40 on Friday, April 18. The ship delivered approximately 5,000 pounds of primary cargo to the ISS, including the recently-commissioned High Definition Earth Viewing (HDEV) cameras, legs for Robonaut 2, VEGGIE (a vegetable production system, devised to improve upon the development of plants in space), and other experiments and equipment.

In addition, five CubeSats were released as secondary payloads when the spacecraft separated from its second stage.

The experiments returned with the capsule are meant to further improve life for space travelers during long-duration missions. The T-Cell Activation in Aging Experiment, launched into space on Dragon, investigated possible origins into immune system depression experienced by astronauts on orbit. This experiment was designed to help scientists and researchers aid astronauts and space travelers in preventing illness during space missions; it may also result in improved antibiotic effectiveness for patients on Earth.

Now that Dragon has made its fiery return, the spacecraft will be delivered to SpaceX's test facility in McGregor, Texas, for processing. The freezer and other cargo will be delivered to NASA within 48 hours. NASA's Associate Administrator for Human Exploration and Operations, William Gerstenmaier, underscored the essential nature of the science investigations undertaken aboard the ISS and returned to Earth aboard Dragon, the only cargo ship currently able to return large amounts of cargo back to our home planet.

"The space station is our springboard to deep space, and the science samples returned to Earth are critical to improving our knowledge of how space affects humans who live and work there for long durations. Now that Dragon has returned, scientists can complete their analyses, so we can see how results may impact future human space exploration, or provide direct benefits to people on Earth," he related.

The CRS-3 mission was the third of 12 scheduled cargo resupply trips SpaceX intends to make to the ISS through 2016 as part of its Commercial Resupply Services contract with NASA. SpaceX's next launch, Falcon 9v1.1/Orbcomm OG2, is scheduled to take place at CCAFS' Launch Complex 40 on Tuesday, May 27; this mission is intended to lift six Orbcomm communications satellites into orbit. The next cargo mission, CRS-4, is currently scheduled to launch from CCAFS in early August.

Copyright © 2014 AmericaSpace - All Rights Reserved

 

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Return of the SpaceX-3 Dragon to Earth Caps Super Science Mission for NASA

by Ken Kremer on May 18, 2014

 

SpaceX-3 Dragon commercial cargo freighter was detached from the ISS at 8 AM EDT on May 18, 2014 and released by station crew at 9:26 AM for splashdown in the Pacific Ocean with science samples and cargo. Credit: NASA

Story updated

The 30 day flight of the SpaceX-3 Dragon commercial cargo freighter loaded with a huge cache of precious NASA science experiments including a freezer packed with research samples ended today with a spectacular departure from the orbiting lab complex soaring some 266 miles (428 km) above Earth.

Update 3:05 PM EDT May 18: 

SpaceX confirms successful splashdown at 3:05 p.m. EDT today.

"Splashdown is confirmed!! Welcome home, Dragon!"

Robotics officers at Mission Control at NASA's Johnson Space Center detached Dragon from the Earth-facing port of the Harmony module at 8 a.m. EDT (1300 GMT) this morning, Sunday, May 18, 2014 using the stations Canadian-built robotic arm.

Engineers had earlier unbolted all 16 hooks and latches firmly connecting the vehicle to the station in preparation.

NASA astronaut Steve Swanson then commanded the gum dropped shaped Dragon capsule's release from Canadarm2 as planned at 9:26 a.m. EDT (1326 GMT) while the pair were flying majestically over southern Australia.

The undocking operation was shown live on NASA TV.

The SpaceX Dragon commercial cargo craft was in the grips of the Canadarm2 before being released for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. Credit: NASA

Swanson was assisted by Russian cosmonaut Alexander Skvortsov as the US- Russian team were working together inside the domed Cupola module.

Following the cargo ships release by the 57 foot long arms grappling snares, Swanson carefully maneuvered the arm back and away from Dragon as it moved ever so slowly in free drift mode.

It was already four feet distant within three minutes of release.

Three departure burns by the Dragon's Draco maneuvering thrusters followed quickly in succession and occurred precisely on time at 9:29, 9:30 and 9:38 a.m. EST.

Dragon exited the 200 meter wide keep out zone – an imaginary bubble around the station with highly restricted access – at the conclusion of the 3rd departure burn.

"The Dragon mission went very well. It was very nice to have a vehicle take science equipment to the station, and maybe some day even humans," Swanson radioed after the safe and successful departure was completed.

"Thanks to everyone who worked on the Dragon mission."

The private SpaceX Dragon spent a total of 28 days attached to the ISS.

The six person international crew from Russia, the US and Japan on Expeditions 39 and 40 unloaded some 2.5 tons of supplies aboard and then repacked it for the voyage home.

The SpaceX resupply capsule is carrying back about 3500 pounds of spacewalk equipment, vehicle hardware, science samples from human research, biology and biotechnology studies, physical science investigations and education activities, as well as no longer needed trash.

"The space station is our springboard to deep space and the science samples returned to Earth are critical to improving our knowledge of how space affects humans who live and work there for long durations," said William Gerstenmaier, associate administrator for human exploration and operations.

"Now that Dragon has returned, scientists can complete their analyses, so we can see how results may impact future human space exploration or provide direct benefits to people on Earth."

Among the research investigations conducted that returned samples in the cargo hold were an examination of the decreased effectives of antibiotics in space, better growth of plants in space, T-Cell activation in aging and causes of human immune system depression in the microgravity environment.

The 10 minute long deorbit burn took place as scheduled at 2:10 p.m. EDT (1810 GMT) today.

Dragon returned to Earth for a triple parachute assisted splash down today at around 3:02 p.m. EDT (19:02 GMT) in the Pacific Ocean – some 300 miles west of Baja California.

Dragon is free flying after release from ISS at 9:26 a.m. EDT on May 18, 2014. Credit: NASA

It will be retrieved by recovery boats commissioned by SpaceX. The science cargo will be extracted and then delivered to NASA's Johnson Space Center within 48 hours.

Dragon thundered to orbit atop SpaceX's powerful new Falcon 9 v1.1 rocket on April 18, from Cape Canaveral, Fla.

This unmanned Dragon delivered about 4600 pounds of cargo to the ISS including over 150 science experiments, a pair of hi tech legs for Robonaut 2, a high definition Earth observing imaging camera suite (HDEV), the laser optical communications experiment (OPALS), the VEGGIE lettuce growing experiment as well as essential gear, spare parts, crew provisions, food, clothing and supplies to the six person crews living and working aboard in low Earth orbit.

Robonaut 2 engineering model equipped with new legs like those delivered to the ISS on the SpaceX CRS-3 launch were on display at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex on March 15, 2014. Credit: Ken Kremer – kenkremer.com

It reached the ISS on April 20 for berthing.

Dragon is the only unmanned resupply vessel supply that also returns cargo back to Earth.

The SpaceX-3 mission marks the company's third resupply mission to the ISS under the $1.6 Billion Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract with NASA to deliver 20,000 kg (44,000 pounds) of cargo to the ISS during a dozen Dragon cargo spacecraft flights through 2016.

The SpaceX Dragon is among a trio of American vehicles, including the Boeing CST-100 and Sierra Nevada Dream Chaser vying to restore America's capability to fly humans to Earth orbit and the space station by late 2017, using seed money from NASA's Commercial Crew Program (CCP) in a public/private partnership. The next round of contracts will be awarded by NASA about late summer 2014.

Another significant milestone was the apparently successful attempt by SpaceX to accomplish a controlled soft landing of the Falcon 9 boosters first stage in the Atlantic Ocean for eventual recovery and reuse. It was a first step in a guided 1st stage soft landing back at the Cape.

The next unmanned US cargo mission to the ISS is set for early morning on June 10 with the launch of the Orbital Sciences Cygnus freighter atop an Antares booster from a launch pad at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on the eastern shore of Virginia.

Stay tuned here for Ken's continuing SpaceX, Orbital Sciences, Boeing, commercial space, Orion, Chang'e-3, LADEE, Curiosity, Mars rover, MAVEN, MOM and more planetary and human spaceflight news.

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Splashdown! SpaceX's Dragon Returns to Earth from Space Station

By Miriam Kramer, Staff Writer   |   May 18, 2014 03:08pm ET

 

SpaceX's Dragon capsule splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on May 18, 2014 after about one month in space. Credit: SpaceX View full size image

SpaceX's robotic Dragon capsule splashed down in the Pacific Ocean today (May 18), bringing more than 1,000 lbs. of science cargo back to Earth from the International Space Station.

The unmanned spacecraft fell into the ocean off the coast of Baja California, where officials were able to recover it. The spacecraft carried more than 3,500 lbs. (1,587 kg) of cargo to Earth from the orbiting laboratory. Splashdown occurred at 3:05 p.m. EDT (1905 GMT).

Dragon attached to the space station on April 20 after launching atop the private spaceflight company's Falcon 9 rocket on April 18 from Florida. The capsule was released from the station today at 9:26 a.m. EDT (1325 GMT). [See photos of Dragon's mission to the International Space Station]

SpaceX's Dragon capsule flies above Angola while attached to the International Space Station just before its release on May 18, 2014.
Credit: NASA TV

View full size image

"Splashdown is confirmed!! Welcome home, Dragon," SpaceX officials wrote from the company's Twitter account (@SpaceX) shortly after splashdown. 

SpaceX's Dragon carried about 1,600 lbs. (726 kg) of science cargo down from the space laboratory. The 150 science experiments include biotechnology samples, biology studies, physical science investigations and human research, NASA officials said.

"While some of this data can be obtained by on orbit analysis, many analysis techniques have not been miniaturized or modified to allow them to be performed on orbit, which means sample return is the only way to obtain this data," Marybeth Edeen, space station research integration office deputy manager at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, said in a statement.

One of the studies that just returned to Earth is an experiment with drug-resistant bacteria investigating howgene expression changes in microgravity. Scientists used E. Coli to try to understand the decrease in effectiveness of antibiotics in the space environment. Earlier studies showed that bacteria are able to grow in space even with concentrations of antibiotics that could deter growth on Earth, NASA officials said.

The splashdown marks the completion of SpaceX's third official Dragon resupply trip to the International Space Station. When it docked to the station, the spacecraft successfully delivered about 5,000 lbs. (2,268 kilograms) to the crewmembers living and working aboard the space laboratory.

At the moment, Dragon is the only cargo ship that can successfully bring supplies back to Earth from the International Space Station. While other spacecraft like Russia's Progress, Europe's ATV and Japan's HTV can deliver cargo to the orbiting outpost, they are destroyed in Earth's atmosphere during re-entry.

SpaceX's Dragon capsule splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on May 18, 2014 after about one month in space.
Credit: SpaceX

View full size image

SpaceX currently holds a $1.6 billion contract with NASA to fly 12 resupply missions to the station using the unmanned Dragon capsule and Falcon 9 rocket.

But the California-based company isn't the only organization that holds a resupply contract with NASA. The space agency also has a $1.9 billion deal with Orbital Sciences Corp. to fly eight missions to the orbiting outpost using the Cygnus spacecraft and its Antares rocket. Orbital Sciences is scheduled to launch its second cargo run to the station at the beginning of June.

At the moment, the space station plays host to an international trio of spaceflyers. NASA's Steve Swanson and Russian cosmonauts Alexander Skvortsov and Oleg Artemyev will man the orbiting outpost until a new crew of three launches to space on May 28.

 

 

Copyright © 2014 TechMediaNetwork.com All rights reserved.

 

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SpaceX Logs Successful Dragon Splashdown

May 18, 2014 by Mark Carreau in On Space

 

SpaceX began the Pacific Ocean recovery of the company's third commercial re-supply mission to the International Space Station Sunday afternoon, capping a month-long round trip that featured the delivery of nearly 5,000 pounds of cargo and the return of more than 3,500 pounds of station hardware and scientific equipment, including perishable research samples.

Dragon splashed down under parachute 350 miles west of Baja, Calif., at 3:05 p.m., EDT.

"Dragon has successfully splashed down, and recovery operations are underway," NASA's Mission Control informed ISS commander Steve Swanson and his Russian crewmates, Alexander Skvortsov and Oleg Artemyev, moments after the capsule was sighted in Pacific waters.

"Wonderful, great news," replied Swanson.

The SpaceX Dragon capsule awaits release commands from U. S. astronaut Steve Swanson  with assistance from cosmonaut Alexander Skvortsov.  NASA TV

Personnel in NASA's Mission Control issued commands seven hours earlier that unberthed the 14 foot long commercial freighter from the station's U.S. segment Harmony module using Canada's 58-foot-long robot arm.  More commands extended the robot arm for Dragon's release at 9:26 a.m.

Three separation burns within a dozen minutes pushed Dragon away from a NASA monitored ISS "keep out" zone, returning oversight of the supply mission to controllers at SpaceX's Hawthorne, Calif. control room who set up a 10 minute deorbit burn at 2:12 p.m.

"I'd like to thank everyone who worked this Dragon mission. It went very well. I appreciate that tremendously," radioed Swanson, who issued the release commands from the ISS Cupola observation deck.

Swanson took command of ISS Expedition 40 on May 13, with the departure of three U.S., Japanese and Russian crew members aboard the Soyuz TMA-11M crew transport.

The departure left the station temporarily staffed by three.

There were no outward signs of the terrestrial tensions between the U.S. and Russia over the annexation of Crimea as Skvortsov joined Swanson for the late stow of Dragon cargos returning to Earth as well as at the robot arm's Cupola control post for the capsule's release.

Dragon's return cargo of crew supplies, station hardware and spacewalk tools included 1,600 pounds of scientific gear, including a pair of low temperature Glacier freezers with medical specimens and preserved biological samples for a range of crew health, human and plant biology and biotechnology experiments.

One investigation, Antibiotic Effectiveness in Space, returned E. Coli samples as part of a continuing investigation into the aggressive responses of bacteria to weightlessness. Some strains thrive, resisting antibiotics

"We intend to further corroborate these early findings and conduct more in depth genetic assays of the returned samples to get a better understanding of what might be responsible for this outcome,'' said AES-1 principal investigator David Klaus,  of BioServe Space Technologies at the University of Colorado in Boulder, in a NASA statement.

Patterns of gene expression from the studies may aid in the development of more effective antibiotics.

Researchers from the University of Florida flew similar investigations that cultivated antibiotic resistant versions of two common bacteria found on the skin and in the soil. The space-flown samples will be compared to ground controls for signs of mutations linked to weightlessness and new clues about the loss of effectiveness of antibiotics in space.

The capsule also delivered the T-Cell Activation in Aging investigation. The experiment looked for defects in the space activation of human T-cells, which are normally mobilized quickly by the body to fight terrestrial illnesses. Researchers are hopeful the work will improve the treatment of auto-immune diseases including arthritis, as well as slow the decline of the immune system among the aging.

The SpaceX-staffed recovery ship American Islander will head for Los Angeles to offload Dragon and begin the distribution of science experiments to researchers and station hardware in need of refurbishment. Most of the cargo will be transported to SpaceX facilities in Central Texas for processing.

Dragon's third mission under a $1.6 billion, 12-flight NASA contract signed in late 2008, lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Fla., on April 18. The station's since-departed commander, Koichi Wakata, of Japan, and NASA flight engineer Rick Mastracchio used the Canadian arm to capture and berth Dragon.

Orbital Sciences' second Cygnus resupply flight, the next scheduled ISS cargo delivery, is being readied for a June 10 lift off from Virginia's Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport. SpaceX is scheduled to launch its fourth Dragon cargo mission on Aug. 8.

Copyright © 2014, Penton.  All rights reserved.

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