As the International Space Station passed more than 261 miles across northeast China, the SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft autonomously docked with the station’s Harmony module at 07:31 ET with NASA astronaut Woody Hoburg tracking operations from the station.

Dragon was launched from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 8:30 pm ET on March 14 as part of SpaceX’s 27th contract resupply mission for NASA. After spending about a month on the space station, Dragon will return to Earth with spacecraft cargo and research.

Among the science experiments Dragon has delivered to the space station are:

Cardinal Heart 2.0

The first Cardinal Heart study conducted on the space station showed that four weeks of exposure to microgravity can cause significant changes in heart cell function and gene expression. The researchers concluded that these changes could lead to long-term medical problems. The Cardinal Heart 2.0 experiment builds on these findings, using cardiac organoids, which are three-dimensional structures made up of different cell types in a given organ, to test whether clinically approved drugs can reduce these microgravity-induced changes in heart cell function. The results could contribute to the development of effective drug combinations to improve the health of astronauts and patients around the world.

Engineering tissues of the heart-2

This work continues with 3D culture of heart muscle tissue to assess human heart function in microgravity. Previous work with 3D cultures in space has revealed changes at the cellular and tissue levels that could be early signs of heart disease. This study tests whether new treatments prevent these negative effects of space flight. The model used in this study could potentially be used for drug development and other applications related to the diagnosis and treatment of cardiac dysfunction on Earth.

Cardinal Heart 2.0 and Engineered Heart Tissues-2 are the two latest experiments from the National Institutes of Health and ISS National Laboratory’s Tissue Chips in Space initiative. Researchers hope to learn more about the effects of microgravity on human health and disease and apply this understanding to improving the health of people on Earth.

HUNCH Ball Clamp monopod

The NASA High School Students United to Create Hardware (HUNCH) program enables students to apply their science, technology, engineering, and math skills to make real products for NASA. The HUNCH Ball Clamp monopod attempts to respond to astronauts’ comments about the difficulty of placing video or photo cameras in the middle of the module. The student-made project consists of an aluminum monopod equipped with a camera shoe and ball clamp that attaches to a standard space station handrail. The ball clamp acts as a rotating platform for photography and video.

visible system CapiSorb

Because microgravity made it difficult to control the flow of fluids, the space station was unable to take advantage of carbon dioxide removal techniques using special fluids. Liquid carbon dioxide removal systems, such as those found on submarines, offer higher efficiency than other types of systems. The CapiSorb Visible System study demonstrates fluid control through capillary forces, the interaction of a liquid with a solid, liquids that can draw a liquid into a narrow tube, typically absorbing carbon dioxide. This is an important factor for future long-duration space missions, where increased efficiency will sustain crews for months or years.

ESA-Biofilms

Microbial biofilms are combinations of microorganisms that embed themselves in a self-produced mucus matrix. Biofilms are a concern for spaceflight, as they can damage equipment, resist cleaning agents, and contain microorganisms that can cause infections. ESA (European Space Agency) – Biofilm Research studies bacterial biofilm formation and antimicrobial properties of various metal surfaces under spaceflight conditions. In this study, antimicrobial surfaces that can inhibit biofilm growth such as copper and its alloys with or without laser surface treatment are used. This project provides additional information to help develop suitable antimicrobial surfaces for future spacecraft.

Tanpopo-5

The JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) Tanpopo-5 probe investigates the origin, transport and survival of life in space and on extraterrestrial planets such as Mars. The research focuses on the effects of radiation-resistant radioresistant bacteria and algae sporophytes, which are an important part of the life cycle of some plants, in the harsh space environment using the Exposed Experiment Arm attached to I-SEEP (ExBAS). facility. installed outside the station. The results help answer fundamental questions of the “panspermia” hypothesis, the theory of the origin of life on Earth, and the transport of life between celestial bodies.

These are just a few of the hundreds of studies currently being conducted in the orbiting lab in the fields of biology and biotechnology, physical sciences, and Earth and space science. Advances in these areas will help keep astronauts healthy during long-term space travel and will demonstrate technologies for future human and robotic exploration by NASA’s Artemis missions and ultimately to Mars and beyond low Earth orbit to the Moon.