NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1 Astronauts Headed to International Space Station

Four astronauts were launched to the International Space Station (ISS) from Florida as part of a collaboration between NASA and SpaceX under the Commercial Crew Program.

Daily Current Affairs Quiz 2021

The mission is called Crew-2 and is the second crew rotation of the SpaceX Crew Dragon and the first with international partners.

Out of the four astronauts, two are from NASA and two are from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and the European Space Agency (ESA).

Now, Crew-2 astronauts will join the members of Expedition 65. They will stay aboard the ISS for six months during which time they will conduct science experiments in low-Earth orbit.

Their central focus during this time will be to continue a series of Tissue Chips in Space studies.

Tissue Chips are small models of human organs that contain multiple cell types that behave similarly to the human body. According to NASA, these chips can potentially speed up the process of identifying safe and effective drugs and vaccines.