SpaceX’s next robotic cargo mission to the International Space Station—CRS-29—has been cleared for take off. The mission is set to launch on a Falcon 9 from the Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 8.28 PM EST on Thursday (6.58 AM IST on Friday, November 10).
You can watch a live stream as the cargo Dragon spacecraft takes off on NASA TV through the link below when it happens.
The CRS-29 mission carries crucial scientific experiments and technology demonstrations, including optical communications equipment and instruments for measuring atmospheric waves. Here are some of the interesting scientific experiments aboard the space station
Can space help improve bone health on Earth?
NASA is sending the Space Flight Induced Ovarian and Estrogen Signaling Dysfunction, Adaptation, and Recovery to orbit on CRS-29. While the name might be a mouthful, the experiment is quite interesting. It seeks to better understand the effects of the spaceflight, nutritional and environmental stresses of a space environment on ovulation and what effect that will have on the skeleton. According to NASA, the results of this study could help improve bone health here on Earth.
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Laser communications in space
The space agency’s ILLUMA-T investigation will test better laser-based communication capabilities on the space station. A terminal mounted on the station’s exterior will use laser communications to send high-resolution information to NASA’s Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD) system, which is in orbit around the Earth.
LCRD will then beam the data to optical ground stations in Hawaii and California. The system makes use of invisible infrared light and can send and receive information at higher data rates than traditional radio frequency systems. This will make it possible to send and receive more information at faster rates than conventional radio communications systems that are in use now. Systems like ILLUMA-T can potentially be used for faster and higher bandwidth data transmission between spcacecraft orbiting the Moon or Mars.
Atmospheric wave studies
The Atmospheric Waves Experiment (AWE), which is also hitching a ride to the space station on the CRS-29 mission, is an infrared imaging instrument that will measure the properties of atmospheric gravity waves. Think of them as waves that roll through the planet’s atmosphere, just like how waves are created when a stone is dropped in water.
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First published on: 09-11-2023 at 1:19 PM IST
