The supply rocket carries dartigrates with it, which will be studied by ISS scientists.
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Study time: 1 minute.
A SpaceX rocket took off from the International Space Station (ISS) on Thursday, June 3, which was enough to conduct a full scientific experiment, including astonishing passengers: squids. The spacecraft, commissioned by NASA, was launched from Florida and landed at ISS on Saturday.
Aiming to study the effect of weightlessness on the interactions between bacteria and their hosts, young specimens of a type of squid (Ubrimna scolops) have embarked on a journey. Some of these animals are actually ISS, exposed to bacteria on the ship. Some will be kept intact. After 12 hours, everything will be frozen until they return to Earth, where they will be examined.
In the future, this experiment will help to develop techniques to protect the health of astronauts participating in long-distance missions in space. Also on the SpaceX rocket: Dartigrades, nicknamed water bears, are micro-organisms known for their resistance. Scientists want to study how they fit into space. In total, the restoration work carries more than 3,000 kg of scientific cargo.
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