SpaceX CRS-24, also known as SpX-24, was a Commercial Resupply Service mission to the International Space Station launched on 21 December 2021, at 10:07:08 UTC. The mission is contracted by NASA and is flown by SpaceX using a Cargo Dragon. This is the fourth flight for SpaceX under NASA's CRS Phase 2 contract awarded in January 2016.
Cargo Dragon SpaceX plans to reuse the Cargo Dragons up to five times. The Cargo Dragon is launched without SuperDraco abort engines, without seats, cockpit controls and the life support system required to sustain astronauts in space. The new Cargo Dragon capsules under the NASA CRS Phase 2 contract will land east of Florida in the Atlantic Ocean.
Payload NASA contracted for the CRS-24 mission from SpaceX and therefore determines the primary payload, date of launch, and orbital parameters for the Cargo Dragon C209. (This effectively determined C209'a turnaround time, which broke the shortness record for reusable orbital spacecraft, at 164.3 days.) Two educational microcontrollers (Astro Pi and Calliope mini) are also being delivered as part of the payload of this mission. SpaceX CRS-24 carries over 2,989 kg (6,590 lb) of science experiments, instruments, supplies, hardware, and Christmas presents up to the ISS and the crew of Expedition 66.
Crew supplies: 386 kg (851 lb) Science investigations: 1,119 kg (2,467 lb) Spacewalk equipment: 182 kg (401 lb) Vehicle hardware: 328 kg (723 lb) Computer resources: 33 kg (73 lb)
ANITA-2 ANITA-2 is a trace gas monitoring system developed by OHB and SINTEF under contract of ESA.
STP-H7 A technology demonstration mission which consists of the following payloads:
CASPR (Configurable Autonomous Sensor Processing Research), including a 8U binocular camera iSIM-90 optics mounted atop a gimbal-actuated platform. GARI-1 (GAGG Radiation Instrument) Falcon Neuro LASSO (Local Area Space Surveillance Observations) OSVW (Ocean Surface Vector Winds) PIANO (Phenomenology Imager and Nighttime Observer)
STP-H8 A technology demonstration mission which consists of the microwave radiometers COWVR and TEMPEST.
Research experiments The following research experiments were flown on SpaceX CRS-24:
BioPrint FirstAid - Bioprinting uses viable cells and biological molecules to print tissue structures. CASIS PCG 20 - Improving delivery of cancer drugs monoclonal antibodies, used to treat a wide range of human diseases, do not dissolve easily in liquid and so typically must be given intravenously in a clinic setting. CASIS PCG 20 continues work on crystallizing a monoclonal antibody developed by Merck Research Laboratories, pembrolizumab. It is the active ingredient in Keytruda®, a drug that targets multiple cancers. Scientists analyze these crystals to learn more about the structure and behavior of the component to create drug formulations that can be administered at a doctor's office or even at home. Host-Pathogen - Scientists have observed that spaceflight sometimes increases the virulence of potentially harmful microbes and reduces human immune function, increasing the risk for infectious disease. Results could help assess the potential risk infectious microbes may pose and may support countermeasures' development. This could improve care for those with compromised immune systems on Earth. Multi-Variable Platform (MVP) Plant-01 - Multi Variable Platform (MVP) Plant-01 profiles and monitors the development of the shoots and roots of plants in microgravity. Plants could serve as a vital part of human life support systems for long-duration spaceflight and habitation of the Moon and Mars. But spacegrown plants experience stress from various factors, and recent studies indicate changes in plant gene expression in response to those stressors. Improved understanding of these changes could enable the design of plants that are better suited for growth in spaceflight environments. Procter & Gamble (P&G) Telescience Investigation of Detergent Experiments (PGTIDE) - Astronauts on the Space Station wear an item of clothing several times, then replace it with new clothes delivered on resupply missions. Limited cargo capacity makes this a challenge, and resupply is not an option for longer missions such as to the Moon and Mars. In a collaboration with NASA, Procter & Gamble has developed Tide Infinity, a fully degradable detergent specifically for use in space. Once proven in space, Tide plans to use the new cleaning methods and detergent to advance sustainable, low-resource-use laundry solutions on Earth. Turbine Superalloy Casting Module (SCM) - Turbine Superalloy Casting Module (SCM) tests a commercial manufacturing device that processes heat-resistant alloy parts in microgravity. Alloys are materials made up of at least two different chemical elements, one of which is a metal. Student Payload Opportunity with Citizen Science (SPOCS) - Students enrolled in institutions of higher learning can design and build microgravity experiments as part of NASA's Student Payload Opportunity with Citizen Science (SPOCS). As part of their experiment, selected teams involve students in grades K through 12 as citizen scientists. Citizen science allows individuals who are not professional scientists to contribute to real-world research. The NASA STEM on Station project is funding experiments flying on this SpaceX resupply mission, including a study on antibiotic resistance in microgravity from Columbia University and one on how microgravity affects bacteria-resistant polymers from the University of Idaho.
European Space Agency (ESA) research and activities:
ESA's Cytoskeleton experiment, a biological study, aimed at determining the changing function of RhoGTPases when in vitro cell cultures are exposed to weightlessness. The Cytoskeleton experiment will learn about the events that are happening inside a mammalian cell when exposed to weightlessness.[]
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