CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.– A SpaceX Dragon capsule got to the International Space Station early Wednesday (Dec. 22), bring with it a vacation haul of science gear and Christmas treats for the astronauts living on the orbital outpost.The self-governing Dragon resupply deliver docked itself at the orbital station at 3:41 a.m. EST (0841 GMT), ahead of its planned 4:30 a.m. docking time. It parked itself at the space-facing port on the stations Harmony module, with NASA astronauts Raja Chari and Tom Marshburn keeping an eye on the docking from inside the station. The Dragon pill launched on its freight mission for NASA, called CRS-24, early Tuesday (Dec. 21) atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It delivered 6,500 pounds (2,949 kilograms) of research study experiments and products for the team. With Christmas just days away, NASA did load a special dinner for the seven astronauts on the spaceport station. ” I wont get in front of Santa Claus and inform you whats going to be sent up, but we are going to have some gifts for the team,” said Joel Montalbano, NASAs space station program manager, prior to the Dragon launched. “Were likewise going to fly some unique foods for Christmas supper. So you can imagine turkey, green beans, we have some fish and some seafood thats smoked. We also have everyones preferred, fruitcake.” The research equipment tucked within will support a variety of experiments in the life sciences, pharmaceuticals, and many other fields. Space laundry with Tide NASAs upcoming Artemis moon objectives will send teams back to the moon for the first time in years, however it will also work as a stepping stone to Mars. To that end, NASA is attempting to find out how it will feed, clothe, and protect its astronauts on extremely long-duration objectives. One examination flying on CRS-24 will assist them do simply that. Together with Proctor and Gamble, the makers of Tide detergent, NASA is looking at how to wash clothing in area. This initial action will test how well the real detergent holds up to the stresses of microgravity. The agency estimates that it will require around 500 pounds of clothes per astronaut for a three-year trip to Mars. That amount can be reduced by supplying the teams with the ability of cleaning clothes in orbit. (Currently, astronauts wear their clothing lot of times prior to tossing them out and getting a new set.) ” Once you begin having extended trips out in space, laundry is an essential,” Mark Sivik, senior director and research study fellow at Proctor and Gamble informed Space.com. “We looked at what it would take for a crew of four to do laundry and we reduced that.” Tide has partnered with the ISS National Lab to test Tide To Go Wipes and Tide To Go Pens on the spaceport station in 2022. (Image credit: P&G)” What weve developed here is fully degradable and developed to work within the space stations closed-loop system,” he added.The Tide experiment will assist put NASA on a course that results in laundry in area. For this very first version, scientists will be looking at how the specially designed detergent performs in space. Tide is likewise sending up a follow-on experiment next year that will look at how effective the detergent is at fighting discolorations while in area. The cleaning agent used will be a scaled-back version of the cleaning agent we use in your home, that is designed specifically for efficiency clothing. Given that the astronauts exercise several times per day, and wear more performance-active clothing, this is what the detergent will target. It will run for about six months, returning to Earth at some point throughout the summer. The research will not just supply future area travelers with a way of refreshing their clothes however could prove reliable for individuals in locations that do not have immense water supplies. Thats because the cleaning agent is created to be used with less water while also carrying out as you would expect. Refining crystal growth The International Space Station as seen from the SpaceX Cargo Dragon throughout its automated approach prior to docking on the CRS-24 resupply objective on Dec. 22, 2021. (Image credit: NASA TELEVISION) Protein crystal growth experiments are frequently sent to the spaceport station due to the fact that microgravity is an outstanding platform to grow perfect, uniform crystals. The crystals can then be used to evaluate a range of various drugs to deal with ailments from arthritis to cancer. Motivation for one such treatment came from the bodys own immune system. Monoclonal antibodies (MAB) attack a particular target by setting off the bodys immune action. Offered via transfusion, monoclonal antibodies can be made to lock onto particular targets inside a cell (or on its surface area) and have less side effects compared to other treatments. In order to be an effective form of treatment, the MABs need to be administered in big doses intravenously. By sending this experiment into area, the pharmaceutical business Merck Research Labs is hoping it can make higher concentrations of high-quality antibodies. Its also hoping that other companies will see the simpleness of its experiment and be inspired to do their own space-based research. Paul Reichert of Merck told Space.com that the concept for this experiment can be found in 2016 after he saw a video of NASA astronaut Kate Rubins using a pipette as part of another investigation.Reichert understood that experiments didnt need to be incredibly complex to get the same results. The design of this experiment is simplified, made up of a couple of syringes affixed to a board. Reichert stated that he intends to have the ability to grow numerous small, perfectly-shaped protein crystals that the company can then use to enhance its cancer treatment therapies. STEM in space Students from 2 different universities are sending experiments into space as part of NASAs Student Payload Opportunity with Citizen Science (SPOCS). The teams partnered with students in grades K-12, which functioned as person scientists, as a means of doing real-world research. Engineering students at the University of Idaho established a payload to take a look at how microgravity affects bacteria-resistant polymers. Research studies carried out on the station have exposed that bacteria exist on surface areas around the spaceport station, and this experiment intends to identify which finishings (polymers) have the best bacteria-resistant residential or commercial properties. ” The objective of our task is to help further space travel by minimizing germs growth and illness on the International Space Station,” Adriana Bryant, the team leader, informed Space.com. The team dealt with a class of 3rd graders from Moscow, Idaho to select 2 bacteria-resistant polymers that were sent into space. The experiment will run for approximately 30 days and is designed to be totally self-governing once its plugged into the space stations power. Groups will analyze the data collected when it returns to have an idea on which of its polymers are the most resistant to bacteria in area. Another group from Columbia University will take a look at antibiotic resistance in microgravity. The team is sending two various kinds of bacteria into space, which are known to connect here in the world. The experiment will run for roughly 14 days and as soon as its data is received back in the world, the Columbia group are hoping to determine how each germs behaves individually when treated with particular antibiotics and how they behave together in space and how effective treatments are for it. 3D-printing a superalloy in space The Turbine Superalloy Casting Module established by Redwire Space will use 3D printing to develop a polycrystalline superalloy that can be utilized in turbine engines on Earth. (Image credit: Redwire Space) The Turbine Superalloy Casting module (SCM) is a business manufacturing gadget that processes heat-resistant alloys in microgravity. Alloys are materials that are made from at least two different chemical aspects, among which is a metal. The experiment is developed by Redwire Space, which has actually currently sent out numerous payloads into orbit, consisting of the first 3D-printer in area by Made In Space, which Redwire obtained in 2020. By attempting to print alloys in area, the business is wanting to look to the future when humankind will require to construct things on other worlds in addition to improve items here in the world. The group is anticipating to see more consistent structures in the space-based prints versus the ones done terrestrially, which might assist produce improved products here in the world, like turbine engines. These types of engines are used not only in the aerospace market but likewise as a means of creating power. The Dragon pill is on its 2nd journey to the International Space Station (it first flew in June of this year) and will remain docked to the orbital station for roughly 30 days. It will go back to Earth in January.Follow Amy Thompson on Twitter @astrogingersnap. 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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.– A SpaceX Dragon capsule showed up at the International Space Station early Wednesday (Dec. 22), carrying with it a vacation haul of science gear and Christmas deals with for the astronauts living on the orbital outpost.The self-governing Dragon resupply deliver docked itself at the orbital station at 3:41 a.m. EST (0841 GMT), ahead of its prepared 4:30 a.m. docking time. (Image credit: P&G)” What weve established here is totally degradable and developed to work within the space stations closed-loop system,” he added.The Tide experiment will help put NASA on a course that leads to laundry in area. The research study will not only provide future space tourists with a means of freshening their clothing however might prove effective for individuals in locations that do not have immense water products. Improving crystal development The International Space Station as seen from the SpaceX Cargo Dragon during its automatic approach before docking on the CRS-24 resupply objective on Dec. 22, 2021. The experiment is developed by Redwire Space, which has currently sent numerous payloads into orbit, including the first 3D-printer in area by Made In Space, which Redwire acquired in 2020.