Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Nasa and SpaceX are preparing to launch a cargo spacecraft carrying mini brain models, artificial retina manufacturing hardware, heart tissue models and the final set of roll-out solar arrays for the International Space Station (ISS) on Tuesday.
The mission, the 35th SpaceX commercial resupply services flight for Nasa, will deliver more than 2857 kilograms of scientific investigations, supplies and equipment to the orbiting laboratory.
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A SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, mounted on a Falcon 9 rocket, is scheduled to lift off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
The spacecraft is expected to dock autonomously with the space-facing port of the station’s Harmony module on Thursday, October 15.
MINI BRAINS TO STUDY NEUROLOGICAL DISEASES
Among the most intriguing experiments aboard the Dragon spacecraft are brain organoids, miniature three-dimensional models of human brain tissue.
Scientists will study these structures in microgravity to investigate biological processes associated with neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and multiple sclerosis.
By examining how brain cells develop and interact in the space environment, researchers hope to identify potential targets for future treatments. Microgravity can also offer a different setting for studying cellular behaviour without some of the physical forces experienced on Earth.
ARTIFICIAL RETINAS AND 3D HEART TISSUES
The mission will also carry hardware and materials to manufacture artificial retinas in microgravity. Researchers hope the work will help develop retinal tissues that could eventually support efforts to restore vision on Earth.
Another experiment involves three-dimensional heart tissue models. These models could help scientists investigate cardiac biology and improve drug testing, potentially enabling researchers to assess how treatments affect human-like tissues before advancing them towards clinical applications.
Such research could also support future long-duration space missions, where understanding how the human body responds to the space environment is critical.
NEW SOLAR ARRAYS TO POWER THE SPACE STATION
Beyond biomedical research, the Dragon spacecraft will deliver the final set of International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Arrays. These compact arrays unfurl in orbit to expand the station’s electricity-generating capacity.
The mission will also carry materials to investigate how a new type of glass forms in microgravity, potentially offering insights into manufacturing processes that are difficult to reproduce on Earth.
The Dragon spacecraft is expected to remain docked at the ISS until mid-November. It will then return to Earth carrying research samples, time-sensitive experiments and other cargo, splashing down off the coast of California.
The mission highlights how the space station continues to serve as a laboratory for research that could improve medicine, materials science and technologies on Earth.
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
