NASA’s next resupply mission to help advance cancer and semiconductor research
The International Space Station is home to research useful for space and Earth-based science. NASA and Northrop Grumman are preparing to take another round of research to the orbiting laboratory. Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus XL spacecraft will convey the supplies for the research.
One of the main research projects aboard this mission is one that could advance the treatment of cardiovascular, immunologic, and neurodegenerative diseases, and cancer. Scientists will examine the effects of microgravity on the crystal structure of drug molecules. It is expected that microgravity would produce larger and more uniform pharmaceutical crystals.
Better crystals could mean more effective drug therapy. The research team will try to use the space-grown crystals to grow more crystals on Earth. While prior work has been done on this, this research aims to test the effectiveness of the technique on a much larger scale.
This will not be the only research aboard the spacecraft. Semiconductor crystal research will also be on board. Research has shown that space-grown semiconductor crystals result in the production of better-performing semiconductor devices.
The Cygnus XL spacecraft will also carry experiments that will test the effect of microgravity on UV light’s ability to destroy bacterial biofilms. Another crucial experiment on this mission is the Zero Boil-Off Tank Noncondensables (ZBOT-NC). ZBOT-NC will test the use of inert gases as a protective layer within the fuel tanks of spacecraft. This is expected to control fuel tank pressure in microgravity and prevent unnecessary propellant wastage that current practices are causing.
The Cygnus XL spacecraft is scheduled to launch on September 14 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
