KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL. (September 21, 2014) – The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) is proud to announce several sponsored research payloads have launched to the International Space Station (ISS) onboard the Space Exploration Technology Corporation’s (SpaceX) Dragon cargo capsule. This marks the third series of investigations headed to the station that are sponsored by CASIS, the nonprofit responsible for managing research onboard the ISS U.S. National Laboratory.
Research on this flight includes multiple life science investigations that range from commercial (Pharmaceutical company Novartis), government (Veterans Affairs Administration) and academic (University of Toledo) sectors. Additionally, the first X-Ray machine designed for spaceflight is destined for the station and is intended to better understand rodent muscle wasting and bone density loss. This hardware, developed by Techshot Inc., was jointly funded by CASIS and NASA. A commercial materials science investigation (COBRA PUMA GOLF) rounds out the series of five sponsored investigations onboard the SpaceX Dragon capsule.
“CASIS congratulates SpaceX on a successful launch of CRS-4,” said CASIS Chief Operating Officer Duane Ratliff. “This launch is integral to the continued enhancement of the ISS from both a research and hardware capability standpoint. We look forward to many additional successful launches carrying CASIS-sponsored investigations capable of improving life here on Earth.”
With this successful launch, the Dragon capsule is slated to be captured by the ISS the morning of Tuesday, September 23 ET.
To learn more about the research destined for the ISS during CASIS’s second official launch increment period, Advancing Research Knowledge 2 (ARK2), please visit the following links:
ARK2 microsite: http://ark2.iss-casis.org/
ARK2 video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqAc_pXryo4&feature=youtu.be
3-D Printer Video Featuring Made In Space and NASA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ex481nHY7k&list=UUezcn0GHbLgOkZ85oV5xqZA
