SpaceX - CRS-8 Dragon Mission patch.
May 11, 2016
Image above: European Space Agency astronaut Tim Peake captured this photograph of the SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft as it undocked from the International Space Station on May 11, 2016. The spacecraft was released from the station’s robotic arm at 9:19 a.m. EDT. Image Credits: NASA/Tim Peake.
The SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft was released from the International Space Station’s robotic arm at 9:19 a.m. EDT. The capsule will begin a series of departure burns and maneuvers to move beyond the 656-foot (200-meter) “keep out sphere” around the station and begin its return trip to Earth. The capsule is currently scheduled to splashdown in the Pacific Ocean at 2:55 p.m., about 261 miles southwest of Long Beach, California.
Image above: ameras on the Canadarm2 show the SpaceX Dragon as it departs the vicinity of the space station just after its release. Image Credit: NASA TV.
The spacecraft will return the final batch of human research samples from former NASA astronaut Scott Kelly’s historic one-year mission. These samples will be analyzed for studies such as Biochemical Profile, Cardio Ox, Fluid Shifts, Microbiome, Salivary Markers and the Twins Study. Additional samples taken on the ground as Kelly continues to support these studies will provide insights relevant for the Journey to Mars as NASA learns more about how the human body adjusts to weightlessness, isolation, radiation and the stress of long-duration spaceflight.
SpaceX Dragon Heads Home from ISS with Valuable Science Data
Related links:
Biochemical Profile: http://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/files/Experiments_Summary_One-Pager_Biochemical_Profile.pdf
Cardio Ox: http://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/files/Experiments_Summary_One-Pager_Cardio-ox.pdf
Fluid Shifts: http://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/files/Experiment_Summary_Fluid_Distribution.pdf
Microbiome: http://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/files/Experiment_Summary_Human_Microbiome.pdf
Salivary Markers: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/1009.html
Twins Study: http://www.nasa.gov/twins-study/research/
For more information about International Space Station (ISS): https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html
For more information about Spacex, Dragon, visit: http://www.spacex.com/
Images (mentioned), Video, Text, Credits: NASA/Mark Garcia.
Greetings, Orbiter.ch
