SpaceX Contrail Overhead, bringing the first 3D-printer and other goodies to space

Here’s the SpaceX full video and NASA clip of the Space CRS-4 mission to the ISS.

The 5k pounds of cargo also includes a Scatterometer designed to support weather forecasting by bouncing microwaves off the ocean’s surface to measure wind speed, SSIKLOPS (a new method to deploy small sats from station), a bone density scanner to measure bone mineral density (and lean and fat tissue) in mice using Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry.

The mission is also delivering SPINSAT, the first flight demo for my rocket buddy Wayne’s electric solid propellant thrusters. His company, Digital Solid State Propulsion (DSSP), utilizes electric propulsion to enable small satellites to make orbital maneuvers that have generally not been possible in the very small, mass-constrained satellites such as CubeSats and nanosats. The satellite’s 12 thruster-clusters burn an inert solid fuel, and then only when an electric charge is passed across it.

Here is a video of Wayne’s last launch, where he almost took out my rental car!