Sultan Al Neyadi sends back critical research samples on Dragon spacecraft

Emirati astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi, along with his crew, successfully sent back critical research samples from the International Space Station (ISS) on the Dragon cargo spacecraft.

The spacecraft carrying 1,950 kg of scientific experiments and cargo splashed down off the coast of Florida's Tampa as part of the 27th cargo resupply mission to the ISS.

The investigations include growing space tomatoes, improving crystal growth methods, analyzing aging arteries and enhancing fire safety. 

Al Neyadi completed the stowage of critical research samples along with his Expedition 69 crew members, which includes NASA’s Flight Engineers Stephen Bowen, Woody Hoburg and Frank Rubio. He further accessed the Minus Eighty-Degree Laboratory Freezer (MELFI) on the ISS, that can reach temperatures to a low of -100°C, to preserve some samples before sending them to Earth and was also involved in loading the used station hardware inside the Dragon spacecraft.

Worked with my fellow crew to send research samples back to Earth onboard SpaceX's 27th Dragon cargo mission, which I am happy to hear reached Earth safely. Here, you can see me accessing the Minus Eighty-Degree Laboratory Freezer (MELFI), that can reach temperatures as low as… pic.twitter.com/HlqyeKTX6G

— Sultan AlNeyadi (@Astro_Alneyadi) April 17, 2023

After undocking, the Dragon cargo was transported to NASA’s Space Station Processing Facility for analysis.