Beijing’s experiment returns to Earth
Print Edition
SPACEX’S Dragon cargo spacecraft returned to Earth from the International Space Station yesterday, bringing back the first Chinese experiment from the orbiting laboratory.
The unmanned spacecraft splashed down in the Pacific Ocean, wrapping up SpaceX’s 11th contracted cargo resupply mission for the US space agency NASA.
“Good splashdown of Dragon confirmed — completing first re-flight of a commercial spacecraft to and from the @Space_Station,” the California-based company said via Twitter, referring to the fact that the spaceship first flew in SpaceX’s fourth resupply mission in 2014.
Dragon is returning around 1,860 kilograms of cargo, including science samples from human and animal research, biotechnology studies, physical science investigations and education activities.
One of the science samples was the first Chinese experiment brought to the space station, which is fully commercial, under an agreement with Houston-based NanoRacks, which offers services for the commercial utilization of the orbiting laboratory.
The experiment from the Beijing Institute of Technology was aimed at studying the effects of the space radiation environment on DNA and the changes in mutation rate.
“Everything went according to our plan. All the data sent back looks good,” said professor Deng Yulin, who led the Chinese experiment.
Deng said he would be flying to Florida soon, where a ceremony of a transfer of the experiment between NanoRacks and his team is scheduled for Friday.
The Chinese research involves no technology transfer between NASA and China, which is banned by a US bill introduced in 2011 by Republican Frank Wolf, who is now retired.
Dragon is currently the only space station resupply spacecraft able to return a significant amount of cargo to Earth.
The spacecraft rocketed to the space station from Florida on June 3 with Deng’s experiment and other supplies and arrived there two days later.
It was released from the space station’s robotic arm yesterday to allow it to begin its five-hour journey back to Earth.
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