{"id":18247,"date":"2018-12-06T01:23:29","date_gmt":"2018-12-05T17:23:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/spacex-sends-cargo-ship-to-space-station-and-then-falcon-9-booster-spins-and-swims\/"},"modified":"2018-12-06T01:23:29","modified_gmt":"2018-12-05T17:23:29","slug":"spacex-sends-cargo-ship-to-space-station-and-then-falcon-9-booster-spins-and-swims","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/spacex-sends-cargo-ship-to-space-station-and-then-falcon-9-booster-spins-and-swims\/","title":{"rendered":"SpaceX sends cargo ship to space station, and then Falcon 9 booster spins and swims"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"SpaceX
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, sending a Dragon cargo ship into orbit. (NASA Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

SpaceX\u2019s Falcon 9 rocket sent a robotic Dragon cargo capsule into orbit today from Florida to deliver 5,600 pounds of supplies and experiments to the International Space Station, just two days after a different Falcon 9 launched 64 satellites from a pad across the country.<\/p>\n

The primary mission was an undeniable hit, but this time around, SpaceX\u2019s attempt to have the Falcon 9\u2019s first-stage booster touch down on a landing pad was a miss.<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s liftoff from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station might have come even sooner if it weren\u2019t for some moldy mouse food.<\/p>\n

The mold contamination was discovered on some of the food bars that were packed aboard the Dragon for a zero-gravity rodent experiment in preparation for a Tuesday launch opportunity. Changing out the bad chow forced a 24-hour postponement of the launch, which came off right on time today at 1:16 p.m. ET (10:16 a.m. PT).<\/p>\n

Forty mice will live aboard the space station in specially designed habitats as part of a study focusing on how microgravity affects bone density, muscle mass and internal organs. After their stints in space, the mice will be euthanized so that their tissues can be compared with samples from earthbound mice.<\/p>\n

Rodent Research-8, the latest in a long-running series of experiments, is just one of the payloads packed on the Dragon. Other scientific payloads will provide high-resolution laser ranging observations to assess forest ecosystems and their role in Earth\u2019s carbon cycle, analyze crystals of antioxidant protein that will be grown in zero-G, serve as antioxidants, and test a system for refueling spacecraft in orbit.<\/p>\n