The Eastern Dragon visited the international space station

The Eastern Dragon visited the international space station

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station on Monday opened a hatch on a cargo vessel SpaceX Drago, which arrived on Sunday, and began to unpack more than two tons of food, scientific experiments and materials.

The first among the experiments will be an experiment on aging T-cells, which will be held in the European scientific module of the station, said NASA spokesman Kyle Herring. "This will be a unique experiment," says Herring during a live broadcast on NASA television. The experiment is designed to compare the weakened immune system of the elderly with the changes observed in astronauts during long space flights.

Cargo ship SpaceX Drago was built and operated by Space Exploration Technologies or SpaceX. It reached the International Space Station on Sunday morning after the 36-hour orbital chase. "The Easter Dragon is knocking on the door," said astronaut Randy Bresnik, on the radio, from the Houston mission control staff. SpaceX Drago is one of two privately owned cargo vehicles in the United States, thanks to which food and other cargo are delivered on board the International Space Station, flying at an altitude of about 260 km above the Earth.

Up to this point, SpaceX flew to the station four times. Three times within its $ 1, 6 billion contract with NASA and once under a separate agreement. The cargo ship arrived on Sunday also delivered a pair of legs for an experimental humanoid robot, a prototype high-speed laser communications system, high-definition cameras and a new spacesuit for future spacewalks.

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