Lasers, Crystals and 36,000 Worms Will Ride a SpaceX Dragon to Space Station

[Judi Lynn]

By Sarah Lewin, Space.com Associate Editor | December 3, 2018 07:30am ET

There will be 36,000 worms heading to space Dec. 4 — and, if all goes well, 2 million to 3 million will come back down.

The worms, largely apportioned in pouches of 5,000, will reproduce on the International Space Station as part of a study on how muscles are affected by spaceflight. Their ride is SpaceX's next cargo launch to the station CRS-16, lifting off Dec. 4 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 1:38 p.m. EST (1838 GMT). The spacecraft which will also carry tree-seeking lasers, a liquid-methane fueling station, ingredients for "perfect crystals" and much more.

SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft, riding on a Falcon 9 rocket, will carry more than 5,600 lbs. (2,500 kilograms) of tools, supplies and equipment to the space station crew, including more than 2,200 lbs. (1,000 kg) of science investigations. You can watch it live here on Space.com, courtesy of NASA TV.

The multitudes of worms in pouches — a millimeter-long variety called C. elegans — will aid scientists hoping to learn how to decrease the loss of muscle mass brought on by living in microgravity. Some will have changes made to the genes scientists think might impact muscle mass, and others will be exposed to drugs that can affect the molecular causes of muscle mass loss.

More:
https://www.space.com/42605-lasers-crystals-worms-spacex-cargo-launch.html