SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft splashed down into the Pacific Ocean, bringing back to the Earth hundreds of pounds of NASA cargo and the results of critical, long-term research from the International Space Station (ISS).
SpaceX (Space Exploration Technologies Corporation) is a space transport services company headquartered in Hawthorne, California, in the US.
"This mission enabled research critical to achieving NASA's goal of long-duration human spaceflight in deep space," said Sam Scimemi, director of the ISS division at the NASA headquarters in Washington, DC.
"The delivery of the ISS RapidScatterometer advances our understanding of Earth science and the 3D printer will enable a critical technology demonstration," he added.
The returned cargo could aid in the development of more efficient solar cells and semiconductor-based electronics, the development of plants better suited for space and improvements in sustainable agriculture.
The space cargo also contains the results of the rodent research experiment, for which 20 mice were delivered to the ISS to study the long-term effects of microgravity on physiology.
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This study supports ongoing research into how microgravity affects animals, providing information relevant to human spaceflight, discoveries in basic biology, and knowledge that may direct affect human health on Earth.
Dragon is the only space station re-supply spacecraft able to return cargo to the Earth.
The spacecraft lifted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida Sep 21 carrying almost 5,000 pounds of supplies and elements to support 255 scientific investigations the crew members of Expeditions 41 and 42 will conduct on the ISS.