ASTRONAUTS aboard the International Space Station were treated to their own Thanksgiving feast over the weekend thanks to Elon Musk’s latest SpaceX launch.
On Saturday, at around 2:20 pm, Falcon 9 launched the 26th Dragon Commercial Resupply Services mission to the space station.
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The mission was carrying 7,700lbs of research, scientific materials, crew supplies, hardware and, most importantly, some Thanksgiving staples.
Specifically; ice cream, green beans, cranberry apple desserts, pumpkin pie, candy corn and other supplies, according to CNN.
It also carried new solar arrays and dwarf tomato seeds.
The spacecraft docked with the International Space Station just before 7:40 am on Sunday.
Musk, founder and CEO of SpaceX, celebrated the launch over the weekend, repeatedly sharing videos of various stages, such as the lift off, on Twitter.
According to Space News, Saturday’s launch was previously scheduled for November 22, however it was delayed due to weather.
As the astronauts aboard the space station are enjoying their delayed Thanksgiving goodies, they will be putting the dwarf tomatoes to use for one of NASA’s science experiments.
Researchers have been testing plant growth on the International Space Station, growing “a variety of leafy greens,” according to NASA.
Now, the astronauts will turn their focus to tomatoes.
“A continuous source of nutritious food is essential for long-duration exploration missions, and the typical pre-packaged astronaut diet may need to be supplemented by fresh foods produced in space,” NASA said in a readout for the launch.
CNN reported that the dwarf tomatoes will be grown inside small bags underneath two different light treatments.
A control experiment will also be held on Earth at the same time.
During the experiment, the astronauts aboard the space station are anticipating to harvest some tomatoes around 90, 97, and 104 days after they start to grow.
Then, they are expected to rate the flavor, smell, juiciness and texture of each fruit.
The outlet reported that the tomatoes are expected to be ready to taste in the spring.
“Tomatoes will be a new adventure for us on the veggie team, trying to figure out how to keep these thirsty plants well watered without overwatering,” Gioia Massa, NASA’s space crop production scientist and principal investigator, told the outlet.
Additionally, the scientists will be conducting an experiment with a portable hand-held microscope and self-contained blood sample staining device.
NASA revealed that this experiment could allow astronauts in space or on the surface of the Moon or Mars to “provide diagnostic capabilities” or test food, water and the surface for any contamination.
In the coming days, the astronauts will also be installing new solar arrays outside the floating laboratory on the space station.
The installations have been scheduled during spacewalks set for November 29 and December 3, according to CNN.
The Dragon spacecraft is expected to stay aboard the space station for around a month before splashing back down to Earth.
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