Dragon Splashes Down, Returns Science and Cargo

At 11:44 p.m. PST, the unpiloted SpaceX Dragon splashed down off the coast of California, completing the company’s 33rd Commercial Resupply Services mission to the International Space Station. The spacecraft, carrying thousands of pounds of crew supplies, science experiments and equipment, had undocked at 11:05 a.m.

CST on Feb. 26 from the forward-facing port of the station’s Harmony module. Several investigations returned aboard Dragon. The Euro Material Ageing study exposed 141 samples to space for a year to examine how coatings, insulation and 3D-printed materials degrade, while Thailand’s Liquid Crystals experiment observed the stability of films used in electronics in microgravity.

Both investigations could inform stronger spacecraft materials, better displays and improved optical devices. Frozen samples from the Stellar Stem Cells Mission 2 will help researchers study how microgravity affects brain and heart stem cell growth, with potential implications for treating diseases such as ALS and Parkinson’s.

United States, California

spacex, dragon, splashdown, commercial resupply, space station, material ageing, liquid crystals, stem cells, microgravity, als