A spacecraft is full of scientific experiments studying everything from asteroid mining to in-flight treatment. From Florida on Sunday in the hope that research will return to the moon and boost the human quest to reach Mars someday. It will be launched at the International Space Station.

The Falcon 9 rocket will take off from launch pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center at 11:17 am. The spacecraft will dock at the International Space Station for about a month and then land again on Earth in the Atlantic Ocean.

Mission CRS-21 is a mission to replenish SpaceX’s International Space Station with Unit 21 cargo since signing a contract with NASA more than 10 years ago. This is the first flight of the company’s upgraded Dragon 2 cargo capsules, following the now obsolete Dragon 1 capsules that last flew in March.

Inside, scientific experiments, including a sealed commercial airlock, which is the main focus of the mission. Described as a way to help more private companies deploy satellites in space and expose their experiments to space. Includes equipment for over 6,400 pounds.

Built and designed by Houston-based Nanorack, the Bishop airlock joins the other three airlocks on the station. Two are for astronauts to come out and one is for launching the payload into space. However, Nanorax says it can hold about five times the size.

The Dragon 2 ride involves tiny muscle cells that researchers hope will help explain how microgravity contributes to muscle loss. The experiment was led by Dr. Siobhan Malani, associate professor of medical mechanics at the University of Florida’s School of Pharmaceutical Sciences.

Dr. Paul Quinn, a deputy researcher at the Transformational Research Institute for Metabolism. And Diabetes in Advent Health Orlando said the study included cells from muscle biopsies, half from the elderly and the rest from the young. .. Half of the cells are also attached to electrodes that can mimic the movement and cause the cells to contract.

The goal is to better understand why adults on Earth lose muscle tension as they grow older, as do astronauts onboard the International Space Station.

Other similar experiments investigated how microgravity affects cardiovascular health. Used artificial heart tissue and used small brains made from adult human stem cells for early brain growth. To find out.

All systems are go for the updated cargo version of Dragon’s first flight to the @space_station. Weather is 60% favorable for launch, and the webcast will begin ~15 minutes ahead of liftoff → https://t.co/bJFjLCzWdK pic.twitter.com/a4PEsYscbe

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) December 6, 2020

Another is hoping to advance medical care on board that could one day be used to diagnose and treat astronauts. In this trial, we will test a device that can perform blood analysis the same way a patient would receive it in a hospital. The device was tested on the ground, but not in microgravity.

“When we send people to Mars and someone gets sick on their way to Mars. We take care of them wherever they are, rather than focusing on getting them back to Earth quickly.” He should be able to. . “