SpaceX Dragon leaves ISS towards Earth with space-grown tomatoes
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Packed with scientific samples, Dragon is expected to land in a "parachute-assisted splashdown" off the coast of the US state of Florida.
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SpaceX Dragon leaves ISS towards Earth with space-grown tomatoes
NASA confirmed on Saturday that the hardware-carrying cargo spacecraft, SpaceX Dragon has successfully left the International Space Station (ISS) and is en route to Earth.
"SpaceX's cargo spacecraft separated from the [ISS] at 11:05 am ET (1505 UTC), carrying space-grown tomatoes and other [research] for analysis back on the ground," NASA tweeted.
Dragon is soaring home! @SpaceX's cargo spacecraft separated from the @Space_Station at 11:05am ET (1505 UTC), carrying space-grown tomatoes and other @ISS_Research for analysis back on the ground. Follow our ISS blog for the latest #CRS27 updates: https://t.co/5S8thLTM9h pic.twitter.com/kFLHDcWyJ1
— NASA (@NASA) April 15, 2023
Read next: Humans to live and work on moon by 2030: NASA
Packed with scientific samples, Dragon is expected to land in a "parachute-assisted splashdown" off the coast of the US state of Florida at approximately 4:48 pm ET (20:48 GMT).
The Dragon which left for the ISS on March 14, carrying 2,860 kilograms of supplies, was launched by a Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
This marks the 27th commercial resupply mission carried out by SpaceX to the ISS.
In relevant but separate news, NASA revealed last Tuesday its new Mars-simulation habitat, which will host volunteers and test their living experiences in a year-long experiment to simulate life on Mars.
The facility consists of four small rooms and a gym, which will be home to three experiments under the title: Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog (CHAPEA).
Settling on Mars comes with "very strict mass limitations", due to logistical and environmental factors which will drastically alter the astronauts living experiences.
The facility is comprised of a 160 square-meter home, which includes 2 bathrooms, a vertical farm to grow vegetables, a room for medical care, an area for relaxing, and several workstations.
