NASA and its international partners are launching scientific research as part of SpaceX’s 31st commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station, including studies of solar wind, radiation-resistant moss, spacecraft materials, and cold welding in space. The company’s Dragon cargo spacecraft will launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Solar wind measurements
The CODEX (COronal Diagnostic EXperiment) experiment is studying the solar wind, creating a global data set that will help scientists test theories about what heats the solar wind, which is a million degrees hotter than the surface of the Sun, and sends its streams at nearly a million miles per hour.
The study uses a coronagraph, an instrument that blocks direct sunlight to reveal details in the outer atmosphere or corona. The instrument makes several daily measurements that determine the temperature and speed of electrons in the solar wind, as well as density information collected by traditional coronagraphs. An international team has been designing, building and testing the instrument since 2019 at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
The solar wind has been studied by many missions, and CODEX could add important pieces to this complex puzzle. When the solar wind reaches Earth, it causes auroras at the poles and can generate space weather storms that sometimes disrupt satellite and terrestrial communications and power grids on the ground. Understanding the source of the solar wind can help improve space weather forecasts and response.
NASA
Antarctic moss in space
The ARTEMOSS radiation tolerance experiment uses the live Antarctic moss Ceratodon purpureus to investigate how some plants are better able to withstand radiation exposure and to study the physical and genetic response of biological systems to the combination of space radiation and microgravity. Little research has been done on how these two factors together affect plant physiology and productivity, and the results could help identify biological systems suitable for use in bioregenerative life support systems on future missions.
Mosses grow on all continents of the Earth and have the highest radiation tolerance of all plants. Their small size, low maintenance, ability to absorb water from the air, and resistance to harsh conditions make them suitable for spaceflight. NASA chose Antarctic moss because this continent receives high levels of solar radiation.
The study may also reveal genes involved in the adaptation of plants to spaceflight, which could be used to create strains that are tolerant of deep space conditions. Plants and other biological systems that can withstand the extreme conditions of space can also become a source of food and other essentials in the harsh conditions of the Earth.
SETI Institute
Testing materials in space
The ESA’s Euro Material Ageing study includes two experiments to investigate how certain materials age when exposed to outer space. The first experiment, developed by CNES (National Center for Space Studies), involves materials selected from 15 European institutions following a competitive evaluation that took into account novelty, scientific merit, and value to the materials science and technology communities. The second experiment examines organic samples and their stability or degradation when exposed to ultraviolet radiation that is not filtered by the Earth’s atmosphere. Irradiated samples are recovered and returned to Earth.
Predicting the behavior and lifespan of materials used in space can be difficult because ground-based facilities cannot test all aspects of the space environment simultaneously. These limitations also apply to the testing of organic compounds and minerals, which are important for the study of comets, asteroids, the surface of Mars, planetary atmospheres, and satellites. The results can contribute to better design of spacecraft and satellites, including improved thermal management, as well as the development of sensors for research and industrial applications.
National Space Research Center
Repair of spacecraft from the inside
Nanolab Astrobeat is exploring the use of cold welding to repair perforations in the outer shell or hull of a spacecraft from the inside. It takes less effort to melt metal materials in space than on Earth, and cold welding could be an effective way to repair spacecraft.
Some micrometeorites and space debris traveling at high speeds can penetrate the outer surfaces of spacecraft, which can jeopardize mission success or crew safety. Being able to repair collision damage from inside the spacecraft could be more efficient and safer for crew members. The results could also improve the use of cold welding on Earth.
The study also involves a collaboration with cellist Tina Guo, supported by New York University in Abu Dhabi, to store musical compositions on the Astrobeat computer. The researchers planned to broadcast this “Music from Space” from the space station to the International Astronautical Congress in Milan and to Abu Dhabi after the launch.
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