Dragon returns to Earth with mice and cookies baked in space
After several months docked to ISS SpaceX’s cargo Dragon returned to Earth today, bringing back forty mice send up in December for research and some cookies that were baked in space.
Researchers want to inspect the handful of chocolate chip cookies baked by astronauts in a special Zero G oven just in time for Christmas. The oven launched to the space station in November, so astronauts could pop in pre-made cookie dough provided by DoubleTree. A spokesman for the hotel chain said five cookies were baked up there, one at a time. The company plans to share details of this first-of-its-kind experiment in the coming weeks. “We made space cookies and milk for Santa this year,” NASA astronaut Christina Koch tweeted late last month from the space station, posing with one of the individually wrapped cookies.
Scientists also are getting back 40 mice that flew up in early December, including eight genetically engineered to have twice the normal muscle mass. Some of the non-mighty mice bulked up in orbit for the muscle study; others will pack it on once they’re back in the lab.
At the moment the only way to get experiments like this back from ISS is with cargo Dragon. Hopefully that will change when Sierra Nevada’s Dream Chaser mini-shuttle finally flies in the next few years.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The print edition can be purchased at Amazon or from any other book seller. If you want an autographed copy the price is $60 for the hardback and $45 for the paperback, plus $8 shipping for each. Go here for purchasing details. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
After several months docked to ISS SpaceX’s cargo Dragon returned to Earth today, bringing back forty mice send up in December for research and some cookies that were baked in space.
Researchers want to inspect the handful of chocolate chip cookies baked by astronauts in a special Zero G oven just in time for Christmas. The oven launched to the space station in November, so astronauts could pop in pre-made cookie dough provided by DoubleTree. A spokesman for the hotel chain said five cookies were baked up there, one at a time. The company plans to share details of this first-of-its-kind experiment in the coming weeks. “We made space cookies and milk for Santa this year,” NASA astronaut Christina Koch tweeted late last month from the space station, posing with one of the individually wrapped cookies.
Scientists also are getting back 40 mice that flew up in early December, including eight genetically engineered to have twice the normal muscle mass. Some of the non-mighty mice bulked up in orbit for the muscle study; others will pack it on once they’re back in the lab.
At the moment the only way to get experiments like this back from ISS is with cargo Dragon. Hopefully that will change when Sierra Nevada’s Dream Chaser mini-shuttle finally flies in the next few years.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The print edition can be purchased at Amazon or from any other book seller. If you want an autographed copy the price is $60 for the hardback and $45 for the paperback, plus $8 shipping for each. Go here for purchasing details. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
Your headline made me the remember the headline about the Panda walking into a restaurant. Eats Shoots and Leaves. Mice baked in space. Yummy ?
I’ve heard commentators in the news moan that cookies, wine, and other “non-serious” payloads are oh so terrible, deliver no useful results, and are just the plaything of rich people. But I think it’s great. It brings in money for upstream company, tests out various business models, some people will certainly learn something from it for future use, and it’s usually no tax money that’s “wasted.” So more power to cookies, bread, and wine in space.
A little bit off-topic, but related to SpaceX:
SpaceX is building a short test tank made up of two different bulk-head types (as it seems). I proposed that measure/approach (building at first a test tank) months ago.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjsJQ6d8wEw
Jerry–
Cream –
“Pressed Rat And Warthog”
Live at Royal Albert Hall 2005
https://youtu.be/_txpe6Ie2Nk
3:40
@Jerry Greenwood
You beat me to it! But, they are a tasty combination!
Ian C. noted: “I’ve heard commentators in the news moan that cookies, wine, and other ‘non-serious’ payloads are oh so terrible, deliver no useful results, and are just the plaything of rich people.”
What? The news commentators think that future astronauts, living long term in space, won’t want to cook or drink? I guess those commentators haven’t tried a permanent diet of Tang and Space Food Sticks.
Edward–
do they still make those space-food-sticks?
Q: is any whiskey being aged on the ISS?
Edward,
I’ve to add in all fairness that it’s from a few general journalists, not industry specialists. The kind that thinks that we should solve all problems on Earth before we send anything into space and who see anything that’s not state-controlled and doing “serious science” skeptical.
wayne,
I know of two cases. 2011-2015 from Ardbeg distillery (Scotland), 2015-2017 Suntory distillery (Japan). But it’s not available for consumption (yet).
Ian C.–
thanks for that tidbit on the ‘cohol.
here we go…. (let’s ask the interwebs)
Ardbeg in Space Supernova 2015
Dr. Bill Lumsden
https://youtu.be/iLbn8Udv4TI
5:01
Turning to Mice-in-Space….
…there has to be a joke in there somewhere about getting a Cat on board to keep the ISS rodent-free.
it’s not Space, but it’s a nice assignment:
Chief Mouser –
The Downing Street Cats
https://youtu.be/oXkY8rBiPPo
10:50
“Since 1929, the British Prime Minister has employed an official cat called The Chief Mouser to exterminate vermin at 10 Downing Street.”