More than 1,600 pounds of scientific equipment and experiments were destroyed when a NASA-contracted rocket exploded just six seconds after takeoff from Virginia on Tuesday evening.
The Antares rocket was carrying a Cygnus spacecraft that was packed with 5,000 pounds of supplies for the International Space Station. One-third of that load was dedicated to an exceptional scientific payload that included student experiments, a human health study and equipment that would have been used to study meteors.
'We lost quite a bit of research hardware,' said space station manager Mike Suffredini. He added that NASA would find another opportunity for the researchers and scientists to fly their experiments to the space station at a later date. 'All these things can be replaced and will be over time.'
Here's a rundown of some of the science payload.
Student experiment of potential space food
Students from Duchesne Academy of the Sacred Heart in Houston sent an experiment on board Cygnus to test the performance of pea shoot growth in space. Pea shoots grow very quickly on Earth, can be harvested in two to four weeks and are packed with nutrition. If they can grow in space, they may be a potential option for fresh food, something that astronauts rarely get on long-term missions.
The students, who gathered at Hobby Middle School in San Antonio to watch their project take flight, were described as 'resilient' by the school's principal, Lawrence Carranco. When the rocket exploded, they immediately asked their principal if they could try it again.
Meteor-observing instrument
Also on board was the Meteor Composition Determination instrument, which would have enabled the first space-based observations of meteors entering Earth's atmosphere. The instrument would have taken images of meteors as they passed and analyzed how they interacted with our atmosphere.
Using a high-res camera, the instrument looked at the chemical and physical properties of meteoroid dust - things like size and density. This instrument could eventually help us spot previously unforeseen meteor showers.
The instrument was scheduled to operate for two years.
Astronaut neck collar
A human health study called Drain Brain focused on crew members living on board the space station. Astronauts would have worn a special neck collar that measured blood flow. Scientists were going to use that data to better understand astronaut blood flow to the brain in microgravity, possibly helping to treat headaches and other neurological ailments that crew members report.
But this experiment wasn't just for space. Like many scientific studies carried out on the ISS, Drain Brain had an Earth application. The collar would have been a useful tool for monitoring patients with heart or brain disorders. The study could have helped develop better screening for cognitive disorders like Alzheimer's disease.
18 other student investigations
A group of student-led investigations flew on board. They included studies about crystal growth, mosquito larvae development and how long it takes milk to expire in microgravity. The experiments were selected from 1,487 proposals.
Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments. Entities 0 Name: Earth Count: 3 1 Name: Cygnus Count: 2 2 Name: NASA Count: 2 3 Name: Houston Count: 1 4 Name: ISS Count: 1 5 Name: Virginia Count: 1 6 Name: Meteor Composition Determination Count: 1 7 Name: Antares Count: 1 8 Name: Hobby Middle School Count: 1 9 Name: Duchesne Academy Count: 1 10 Name: Lawrence Carranco Count: 1 11 Name: Mike Suffredini Count: 1 12 Name: San Antonio Count: 1 Related 0 Url: http://ift.tt/PisH98 Title: WATCH LIVE TONIGHT: Private Antares Rocket Launch at 6:22 pm ET Description: Orbital Sciences is counting down to try a second attempt to launch its Antares rocket and Cygnus spacecraft from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia tonight after a boat delayed the launch on Monday. Liftoff is set for 6:22 p.m. EDT (2222 GMT) and you can watch it live in the window below.
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