CIMON (Crew Interactive Mobile CompanioN)  involves the first test of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the ISS and is free flying mobile and autonomous assistance system designed to aid astronauts with their everyday tasks on the station.  Credit: DLR/NASA

Ken Kremer  —   SpaceUpClose.com  —   27 June 2018


CAPE CANAVERAL,
FL –  3 tons of science experiments
covering a wide range of science disciplines 
are flying to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard a recycled
SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft on a NASA contracted resupply
mission launching later this week from the Florida Space Coast. 


Blastoff of the ‘used’ SpaceX Falcon 9 and ‘used’ Dragon
CRS-15 commercial cargo freighter is now slated for dawn
Friday, June
29 at 5:42 a.m. EDT (0942 GMT) from seaside
Space Launch Complex-40 (SLC-40) at Cape
Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.


Dragon CRS-15 is
loaded with nearly 3 tons of science and supplies for the six person crew
aboard the ISS.


The 20-foot
high, 12-foot-diameter Dragon CRS-15 vessel is jam packed with more than 5,900 pounds (about 2,700 kilograms) of science
experiments, research hardware, space parts, food water, clothing and more
supplies for the six person Expedition 56 crew.


This is the 15th SpaceX resupply mission
launched under the original commercial resupply contract (CRS) with NASA. 


The spacecraft will deliver almost 6000 pounds
of supplies and science that studies the use of artificial intelligence, plant
water use all over the planet, gut health in space, more efficient drug development
and the formation of inorganic structures without the influence
of Earth’s gravity, according to NASA.  

One of the key technology demonstration
experiments involves artificial intelligence and is known as CIMON, which
stands for Crew Interactive Mobile CompanioN.  


CIMON is the size of a medicine ball
sized and functions as a free flying mobile and autonomous assistance system
designed to aid astronauts with their everyday tasks on the ISS by using Watson AI technology from the IBM cloud.

One of CIMON´s exercises on the International Space Station ISS will involve a Rubik´s Cube. Credit: DLR

ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst from
Germany will work with CIMON to test its capabilities on the ISS. 


CIMON is significant in being the
first form of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on the space station.  It
was developed by prime contractor Airbus (Friedrichshafen/Bremen, Germany) in cooperation
with DLR, the German Aerospace Center.


“AI-based technology
is about constantly understanding, reasoning and learning, so CIMON is designed
to assist and to create a feeling of talking to a crew mate”, says DLR.


CIMON has the ability to learn and offer solutions to problems. It it equipped
with a face and voice uses artificial intelligence to becomes a genuine
‘colleague’ on board, says DLR. 

The chemical garden experiment will grow colorful inorganic
chemical structures in microgravity.  

Classical chemical garden formed by the addition of cobalt, copper, iron, nickel, and zinc salts to a sodium silicate solution. Image courtesy of the Oliver Steinbock chemistry group at Florida State University.

Also as part of CRS-15 and under the CRS contract, the Dragon spacecraft
“will haul approximately 300 kilograms of research and hardware facilities under the
ISS U.S. National Laboratory flight allocation” said the Center for
the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) which manages the ISS National Lab for
NASA.

“Among the many research
investigations destined for the ISS National Lab, one experiment from the University
of Florida is evaluating domesticated algae strains, which will be cultivated in space to explore
beneficial genetic changes. The research team will sequence the algae’s genomes
to identify growth-related genes – setting the foundation for the production of
biomass feedstocks, recycling carbon dioxide, and improving plant-biology
gene-editing technologies. There are also more than 35 student experiments as
part of this mission, developed by partners such as the Student Spaceflights Experiment
Program (in coordination with education partner DreamUp and hardware partner
NanoRacks) and Go
For Launch! (in coordination with hardware partner Space Tango). These
student experiments span multiple scientific topics, ranging from the
adaptation of bees on station to the evaluation of kidney stones in microgravity. Additionally, the Multiple User System for Earth Sensing platform (managed by
Teledyne Brown),
designed to enhance imaging capabilities from station, will host its first instrument on this mission.” 


“As part of this
mission, there are multiple payloads funded through outside organizations that
are destined for station. Through a joint CASIS and National
Science Foundation partnership, researchers from University
of California-Santa Barbara will evaluate forces between particles that cluster together such as
sediments of quartz and clay particles, which could play an important role in
technological efforts related to deep sea hydrocarbon drilling and
sequestration. Additionally, startup company Angiex (funded in part by Boeing
through the MassChallenge Startup Accelerator) has developed
a cancer therapy that regresses tumor cells in
model organisms. As part of this mission, Angiex will culture endothelial cells
in microgravity, which could create an important model system for evaluating
the action of any vascular-targeted drug. Use of this model may enable the
development of a novel therapy with lower toxicity and the potential to be
effective against most cancers.”


“This launch represents
the incredible amount of diversity that resides within the ISS National Lab
project portfolio,” said CASIS Interim Chief Operating Officer Warren Bates.
“The breadth of experimentation on this mission showcases the capabilities of
station and equally demonstrates the desire by outside funding entities and
agencies to invest in research on this incredible learning platform.”


One of the last
hurdles to launch was cleared this past Saturday, June 23 when the SpaceX team
successfully ignited all nine Merlin 1D first stage engines for a brief firing
lasting several seconds in duration of the recycled Falcon 9 vehicle at 5:30
p.m. EDT on pad 40 at Cape Canaveral, FL.

SpaceX conducts successful static fire test of reused Falcon 9 first stage at 5:30 p.m. EDT on June 23 at Space Launch Complex-40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station for CRS-15 resupply mission to the ISS targeted on launch June 29, 2018.  Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com

Check out my
exclusive Space UpClose photos capturing the test firing, water spout and wild
weather this Saturday afternoon, June 23.

The prior CRS-14 resupply flight successfully flew in April
from pad 40. 

Blastoff of SpaceX ‘Flight-proven’ Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon CRS-14 cargo ship from Space Launch Complex-40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, FL, on April 2 at 4:33 pm EDT to the ISS.  Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com

CRS-15 marks the 12th flight overall for SpaceX
in 2018 and the 2nd ISS resupply mission for NASA in 2018.