In terms of science, the squid on the way to the International Space Station

AFP, Posted on Thursday 03 June 2021 at 21:25

A SpaceX rocket took off for the International Space Station on Thursday, which includes the full scientific experiments, including Surprising Citizens: Squid.

The spacecraft, commissioned by NASA, was launched from Florida at 1:29 pm local time (5:29 pm GMT). Dragon capsule detached from Falcon 9 rocket about 12 minutes after takeoff. It is scheduled to go dock with the Space Station (ISS) on Saturday.

Aiming to study the effect of weightlessness on interactions between bacteria and their hosts, young specimens of a type of squid (Ubrimna scolops) have embarked on a journey.

Once in the ISS a portion of the squid is exposed to the bacteria. Some will be kept intact. After 12 hours, everything will be frozen until they return to Earth, where they will be examined.

“Animals, including humans, rely on microbes to keep their digestive and immune systems healthy,” said Jamie Foster, who led the experiment, citing a report. “We do not yet fully understand how space travel changes these interactions.”

In the future, this experiment will help to develop techniques to protect the health of astronauts participating in long-distance missions in space.

Also on the SpaceX rocket: Dartigrades, nicknamed water bears, are micro-organisms known for their resistance. Scientists want to study how they fit into space.

What we really want to do is “understand how dartigrades survive and reproduce in these environments, learn anything about the strategies they use, and modify them to protect astronauts.” “, The scientist in charge Thomas Booty explained the study.

Cotton, small ultrasound device … In total, the restoration work carries more than 3,000 kg of scientific cargo.