Latest SpaceX Mission Launches As Storm Clouds Just Miss Launch Pad

The first launch attempt of the Crew-11 SpaceX mission was held on Thursday, but was canceled last minute because of threatening storm clouds in the pathway. Crew 11 took off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida in the early morning of Friday.

As of Friday, the clouds just missed the launch pad of the latest SpaceX mission, and the astronauts head toward Nasa’s International Space Station. This crew, made up of four astronauts, is scheduled to stay in the space station for six months. Known as Crew-11, the mission got its name because it was the 11th time Elon Musk’s SpaceX company launched Astronauts to and from the Space center.

During their stay, Crew 11 is assigned to monitor the moon and create scientifically backed scenarios as to what landing on the moon would be like at the lunar South Pole. The lunar South Pole is the southern end of the Moon’s rotational axis.

Additionally, monitoring the moon was not the only mission. Israeli scientists sent in samples of two different types of Salmonella, the first type was Salmonella bongori, and the second type was Salmonella typhimurium. The scientists also sent in one type of Escherichia Coli, also known as E. Coli. The goal of this was to figure out how bacterial profiles are affected under the 0 gravity situation in space. Once the bacteria is returned to Earth, scientists will be able to closely examine the changes in them.

The experiment on bacteria not only solves how they are affected in 0 gravity, it also hints at how astronauts could fight off infections and sickness in space. Finding out how the bacteria are genetically changed could reveal new ways of controlling and fighting off disease.

Although the a threat of oxygen levels lowering in the space station, an astronaut’s job is extremely admirable. They teach us about the moon that floats over our heads every night while we sleep. And their journey continues on as Fincke, a SpaceX worker, tells us over live video that “Hello Space Station — Crew 11 is here and we are super excited to join”.

sources:

https://www.kulr8.com/news/national/spacex-crew-dragon-docks-with-international-space-station/article_a7ebf359-96ea-5cf2-a6e8-6248f7058aab.html

https://universemagazine.com/en/e-coli-and-salmonella-accompanied-the-astronauts-on-the-crew-11-mission/