SpaceX's Cargo Dragon delivers Christmas gifts, feasts to astronauts in space

SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft, which lifted off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on Tuesday, has finally docked at the International Space Station (ISS). The spacecraft transported 2,948 kilograms of cargo for the Expedition 66 crew in what was SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket’s 31st and the final launch of 2021. Apart from various science experiments, gifts and feasts for the astronauts were also part of the payload in the wake of the Christmas and the holiday season.

Gifts from families, turkey launched into space

Joel Montalbano, NASA’s space station program manager, had informed in a press briefing before the launch that gifts from families of the astronauts along with turkey, fruit cake, smoked fish and green beans were also part of the cargo. In a blog post shared today, NASA informed that astronauts Raja Chari and Thomas Marshburn were monitoring docking operations for the spacecraft, which also carried several new science experiments to the space station.

Astronauts to try different experiments in space

Among the most exciting experiments, NASA has sent to the astronauts are Bioprinting bandages and detergent for use in space. According to the agency, bioprinting can be used to print tissue structures using viable cells and biological molecules. A breakthrough in this technology will accelerate the healing process as the bioprinter would create a tissue-forming patch to cover a wound using a person's own skin cells. "On future missions to the Moon and Mars, bioprinting such customized patches could help address changes in wound healing that can occur in space and complicate treatment", NASA's Mark Garcia wrote in his blog.

The other exciting science experiment is studying stain removal ingredients of detergent that would help in laundering clothes in space to increase their reusability. The agency, in collaboration with Procter & Gamble (P&G), has designed a fully degradable detergent named Tide Infinity for usage in zero-gravity conditions. Interestingly, the detergent's successful run in space would yield new cleaning methods here on Earth which would be viable even during low-resource availability. Other science experiments include profiling and monitoring the development of the shoots and roots of plants in microgravity along with the assessment of reduced human immunity and infection risk in space.

Image: Twitter/@Space_Station