NASA Highlights Science on Next Resupply Mission to International Space Station

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May 18, 2017, 18:10 ET

WASHINGTON, May 18, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- NASA will host a media teleconference at 10 a.m. EDT Friday, May 26, to discuss select science investigations launching on the next SpaceX commercial resupply flight to the International Space Station.

SpaceX is targeting June 1 for the launch of its Dragon spacecraft on a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Participants in the briefing will be:

Zaven Arzoumanian, for Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER), will discuss an instrument that will measure neutron stars and test, for the first time in space, technology that uses pulsars as navigation beacons
Miriam Sargusingh, project lead for Capillary Structures for Exploration Life Support, will discuss an investigation into the structures of specific shapes to manage fluid and gas mixtures for water recycling and carbon dioxide removal, benefiting future efforts to design lightweight, more reliable life support systems for future space missions.
Jeremy Banik, principal investigator for Roll-Out Solar Array (ROSA), will discuss an investigation to test the deployment and retraction of a new type of solar panel that rolls open in space like a tape measure and is more compact than current rigid panel designs
Paul Galloway, program manager for Multiple User System for Earth Sensing (MUSES), will discuss an Earth-viewing imaging platform created by Teledyne Brown that will house high-resolution digital cameras and hyperspectral imagers.
Karen Ocorr, will discuss Fruit Fly Lab-02, an investigation using fruit flies as a model organism to better understand the underlying mechanisms responsible for the adverse effects of prolonged exposure to microgravity on the human heart.
Dr. Chia Soo, principal investigator for Systemic Therapy of NELL-1 for Osteoporosis (Rodent Research-5), will discuss an investigation to test a new drug that can both rebuild bone and block further bone loss, improving health for crew members in orbit and people on Earth.

To participate in the teleconference, media must contact Kathryn Hambleton at 202-358-1100 or [email protected] by 5 p.m. Thursday, May 25, for dial-in information.

Audio of the teleconference will be streamed live online at:

https://www.nasa.gov/nasalive

SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft will carry crew supplies, scientific research and hardware to the orbiting laboratory to support the Expedition 52 and 53 crews for the eleventh contracted mission by SpaceX under NASA's Commercial Resupply Services contract.

For launch countdown coverage, NASA's launch blog, and more information about the mission, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/spacex

SOURCE NASA