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The demo flight, which launched on May 22, 2012, is the firstCommercial Orbital Transportation Services, or COTS, vehicle tojourney to the station. People from around the country may watchthis flight and mission for historic significance, but selectstudents are following along with a more personal interest. This isbecause Dragon carries the Student Space Flight ExperimentsProgram, or SSEP, Mission 1 investigations to the station. These SSEP studies come from 12 communities around the U.S. andwere whittled down from 779 proposals to the final 15 manifestedfor this flight. Participating students designed their ownexperiments using flight-approved fluids and materials. These thenwere loaded into NanoRacks modules for power and data capabilitieswhile operating aboard station. ' What has scientists, like thoseat NASA's Glenn Research Center, excited about this flight,however, is not what went up, but what is planned to come down. TheDragon's ability to increase the capability for returningexperiments and hardware from the space station to Earth willenable researchers to have more frequent travel options for theirinvestigations. "This is a very important mission for us," said FredKohl, research project manager for the International Space Stationand Human Health Office at Glenn. "The most important aspectis the return delivery to Earth. In general, nowadays, launchingstuff to the station is not a problem. This vehicle will ensure wecan get back our supplies and experiment hardware." Glenn researchers are eager for the return of the Shear HistoryExtensional Rheology Experiment, or SHERE. They use thisinvestigation to look at the effect of preshearing -- a rotationalstress -- and the strain it puts on polymer fluids. Inmicrogravity, this fluid was stretched in each experiment and nowthe data and supplies will come back to the ground for analysis.The goal of this study is to improve manufacturing processes forthings like liquid adhesives. The articles returning to Earth from include items such as atoolbox, fluid modules, stowage trays, cables and a keyboard, andmost importantly science data recordings. These recordings providescientists with the information for further study. Glenn researchers also anticipate the return of facility items fromthe Multi-user Droplet Combustion Apparatus, or MDCA , and theCombustion Integrated Rack-Fluids and Combustion Facility, or CIR.Parts coming back to the ground, such as fuel reservoirs, needleholders, gas bottles and absorber cartridges, are valuable forpotential reuse. Another exciting return planned from the station includescartridges from investigations done on metal rods in the MaterialScience Research Rack, or MSRR. This facility enables testscontrolling thermal, environmental and vacuum conditions forphysical science. In this case, both the SETA-2 and the MSL-CETSOLand MICAST studies, which melted and solidified aluminum-alloy rodsaboard the microgravity laboratory conditions of the station.Researchers eagerly await the return of these items so they canexamine the resulting recrystallization patterns in the metal. This mission is not only about transport, but a demonstration ofthe vehicle's capabilities and an opportunity for SpaceX and NASAto practice operations protocols. This includes a run-through ofcold stowage transfer procedures using coldbags. These bags act ascoolers to keep perishable samples at the appropriate temperaturesuntil they reach their destination. Dragon launched with a coldbagholding the SSEP Mission 1 investigations. Upon return, items fromthe Crew Health Care System, or CHeCS, will be loaded in thecoldbag not for temperature control, but as part of an earlyretrieval effort. "Dragon provides an important return capability for our spacestation researchers," said NASA International Space StationProgram Scientist Julie Robinson. "We are excited to see themreach this demonstration flight milestone.". The e-commerce company in China offers quality products such as Toshiba Projector Lamp Manufacturer , Projector Light Bulbs Manufacturer, and more. For more , please visit Projector Lamps today!
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