SpaceX, NASA launch climate science research to International Space Station

A SpaceX Dragon resupply spacecraft has left for the International Space Station (ISS) carrying science experiments aiming to help carry out climate science research in space on 14 July at 8.44 pm (EDT). The Cargo Dragon spacecraft was launched the Falcon 9 rocket from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida and is transporting 5,800 pounds of science experiments, crew supplies, and other cargo.

This is SpaceX's 25th commercial resupply services mission to the ISS for NASA, said the space research organisation in a press release.

The spacecraft is loaded with a number of experiments with one being the Earth Surface Mineral Dust Investigation (EMIT) that has been developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. It employs NASA imaging spectroscopy technology to measure the mineral composition of dust in Earth's arid regions. The mineral dust blown into the air can travel significant distances and affect Earth’s climate, weather, vegetation, and more.

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According to NASA, the EMI will gather images for a year and create maps of the mineral composition of the regions that produce dust on Earth.

Apart from this, EMIT will also help in mapping which will help researchers gain a better understanding of the effects of mineral dust on the human populations today and in the future as well.

Researchers travelling on the spaceship will conduct an Immunosenescence investigation aboard the International Space Station to study the effects of microgravity on the immune system. They will use tissue chips to examine how microgravity impacts the immune response during flight and if they recover after the flight.

While the Dynamics of Microbiomes in Space in their experiment study the effects of microgravity on metabolic interactions, that will also observe the Earth's climate and weather systems.

Meanwhile, the Biopolymer Research for In-Situ Capabilities experiment will probe how microgravity can affect the process of creating concrete alternatives using organic materials or on-site materials.