A partially reusable spacecraft owned by Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX), which was launched into the International Space Station (ISS) on Sept. 21, is now back on Earth.
SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft had been at the space station in low Earth orbit over the past month but it has finally ended its stay landing in the Pacific Ocean near Mexico's coast on Saturday, Oct. 25.
Dragon's trip is SpaceX's fourth resupply to the ISS under a $1.6 billion contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for at least 12 resupply missions.
Last month, the spacecraft brought nearly 5,000 pounds of supplies to the ISS which included an experimental 3D printer that was designed to work in environments with low gravity, 20 mice intended for use in experiments and studies on bone and muscle loss during long space flights, as well as two Extravehicular Mobility Unit batteries that supply power to communication devices and the oxygen circulation system used in space suits. The newly delivered EMU batteries were already used in two spacewalks at the ISS.
The capsule has returned to Earth bringing almost 4,000 pounds of science experiments and supplies that are no longer needed at the ISS including the Rodent Research-1 experiment, which was brought by the capsule to the space station last month, and an Arugula Plant Growth study, which aims to know the effects of nutrients and microgravity on the growth and nutritional value of arugula seedlings that are grown in space. Findings of the study could aid scientists in developing better ways to grow highly nutritious plants in space which could allow astronauts to grow and eat fresh food in future space travels.
"This mission enabled research critical to achieving NASA's goal of long-duration human spaceflight in deep space," said ISS division director Sam Scimemi. "Investigations in the returned cargo could aid in the development of more efficient solar cells and semiconductor-based electronics, the development of plants better suited for space, and improvements in sustainable agriculture."
Dragon is the only cargo spacecraft servicing the ISS that has the capability to bring back cargos and scientific experiments intact for scientists to retrieve and analyze on Earth.
"It is the only spacecraft currently flying that is capable of returning significant amounts of cargo to Earth," space transport services company SpaceX described the spacecraft. "Currently Dragon carries cargo to space, but it was designed from the beginning to carry humans."
