The Science of CRS-34
- Sharife Gacel
- Aug 3
- 7 min read
When I watched Crew-12 launch in February, the focus was understandably on the four astronauts aboard Dragon: Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway, Sophie Adenot, and Andrey Fedyaev.
Three months later, I was back at the Space Coast for another Dragon launch. This one wasn't carrying astronauts. It was carrying supplies and science to the Crew-12 astronauts already living and working aboard the International Space Station.
SpaceX launched the CRS-34 commercial resupply mission on May 15, 2026, at 6:05 p.m. EDT from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Packed aboard Cargo Dragon were roughly 6,500 pounds of food, crew supplies, station hardware, and scientific investigations.
Once CRS-34 arrived at the station, Crew-12 went from being passengers aboard one Dragon mission to working with the payload delivered by another.
The crew helped unload supplies and integrate newly arrived research into the station's laboratories. ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot, for example, worked with hardware delivered aboard CRS-34, including a development version of the European EuroSuit.
There was even a literal connection between the two missions. While CRS-34 was at the station, Cargo Dragon was docked to the forward port of the Harmony module, while Freedom, the Crew Dragon that had transported Crew-12, was docked to Harmony's zenith port. Two Dragons. One brought the crew. The other brought some of the science and supplies that kept their mission moving.
And when CRS-34's time at the station came to an end, the exchange went in the other direction. Crew members loaded Dragon with completed experiments and research materials to be returned to scientists on Earth. Dragon ultimately splashed down on June 17, completing a mission that connected researchers on the ground with astronauts and experiments aboard the station.
For me, that connection made CRS-34 particularly interesting to follow. I had watched the astronauts leave Earth in February. Now I was watching some of their supplies and science follow them in May.
So, what exactly was inside? Let's have a look at some of the Science of CRS-34.
Bacteria in Space
First up is ODYSSEY.
ODYSSEY examines how bacteria behave in the space environment, including how they form biofilms and transfer genetic material. Biofilms are communities of microorganisms that attach to surfaces and create a protective, slime-like layer.
That might sound like a very specific problem, but think about a future crew spending months traveling to Mars.
They aren't going alone. Microorganisms are coming too. Understanding how bacteria behave in space can help researchers better understand infection risks during long-duration missions. Research like this can also help scientists improve the Earth-based methods used to simulate and study the space environment without having to send every experiment into orbit.
This isn't just about keeping the astronauts healthy and safe though. NASA specifically says the findings could help develop new approaches to limiting infections in hospitals on Earth. Like much of the science on board the International Space Station, much of the results help all of us, right here on Earth.
What Happens to Our Blood?
Next up is SPARK.
SPARK studies how long-duration spaceflight affects red blood cells and the spleen, helping researchers better understand space anemia and how extended time in space affects human health.
The human body evolved under Earth's gravity. Take gravity largely out of the equation for months at a time and things start behaving differently.
Research like SPARK helps scientists better understand those changes and ultimately develop ways to protect astronauts during increasingly long missions. But as mentioned before, the potential benefits aren't limited to the people living in space. What we learn about the human body in an extreme environment can also contribute to our broader understanding of human health here on Earth. Researchers think studying this accelerated process could provide insight into anemia experienced by people on Earth, particularly anemia associated with aging, prolonged inactivity, hospitalization, and long-term care.
Building Better Bones
Let's not forget about Green Bone.
This experiment caught my attention because of the material being used: rattan wood.
Green Bone tests b.Bone, a scaffold made from specially treated rattan designed to mimic aspects of human bone structure. Human bone cells are grown on the scaffold aboard the International Space Station so researchers can study bone regeneration in microgravity.
Bone loss is one of the significant challenges associated with long-duration spaceflight. Without the constant mechanical loading produced by Earth's gravity, astronauts can lose bone density during extended missions.
Research into how bone cells grow and regenerate in microgravity could help us better understand how to protect future astronauts while potentially contributing to treatments for bone-related conditions here on Earth.
Because microgravity produces bone-loss conditions that resemble aspects of osteoporosis, the experiment could help researchers improve treatments for people with osteoporosis, fragile bones, and difficult-to-heal fractures. NASA specifically says the results may lead to advanced osteoporosis treatments and improved bone-healing therapies.
No Gravity, No Gains?
Bone isn't the only part of the body affected by microgravity. MyoLab focuses on muscle.
The investigation studies how microgravity affects human muscle cells to better understand muscle loss in space and potentially improve treatments for muscle-wasting conditions on Earth.
On Earth, simply standing up and moving around requires our muscles to constantly work against gravity. In microgravity, that demand changes dramatically.
That's one reason astronauts aboard the ISS spend significant amounts of time exercising. Without countermeasures, extended spaceflight can lead to muscle loss.
Studying those changes at the cellular level gives researchers another way to understand what prolonged exposure to microgravity does to the body and how we might counteract it, both in space and on Earth.
Similar muscle atrophy occurs on Earth with aging, prolonged inactivity, illness, and bed rest. NASA has used microgravity muscle research as a model for conditions such as age-related sarcopenia, muscular dystrophy, ALS, and cancer-related muscle wasting.
Stem Cells in Space
Then there are Mimic Stem Cells.
This research examines how stem cell-derived particles behave in microgravity, with potential applications for tissue repair and regenerative medicine.
Microgravity gives researchers an unusual environment for studying cells.
Without gravity influencing biological processes in exactly the same way it does on Earth, cells can behave, organize, and interact differently. That gives scientists another way to investigate questions surrounding tissue regeneration and potential therapies.
Again, the experiment may be happening hundreds of miles above us, but what we learn can potentially come right back home. What researchers learn could eventually help improve treatments designed to repair damaged tissues, heal injuries, or restore function after disease.
Looking Back at Earth
Not everything aboard CRS-34 was focused on the human body.
CLARREO Pathfinder looks in the opposite direction: back toward Earth.
CLARREO Pathfinder is a NASA Earth science mission designed to make extremely precise measurements of sunlight reflected by our planet. Those measurements can improve climate observations while also helping calibrate other Earth-observing satellites.
We often think about going to space to study what's out there. But one of the advantages of getting above Earth is gaining an entirely different perspective on what's happening right here. The International Space Station isn't just a place to look outward. Sometimes the best place to study Earth is from space.
The instrument measures sunlight reflected from Earth with extremely high accuracy. Those measurements can then be compared with observations from other Earth-observing satellites, helping scientists identify and correct small calibration errors. NASA describes CLARREO Pathfinder as a demonstration of measurements with roughly five to ten times greater accuracy than current sensors.
A STORIE Worth Telling
Another investigation delivered aboard CRS-34 was STORIE, which studies Earth's ring current.
The ring current is a region of charged particles surrounding our planet that changes in response to activity from the Sun. Studying those changes can improve our understanding of space weather
And space weather isn't just something happening far above our heads.
Strong solar activity can affect satellites, communications systems, power grids, and other critical infrastructure we depend on every day. Understanding what happens around Earth during these events can ultimately help us become better at predicting and preparing for their effects.
There's also a Crew-12 connection here.
NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Christopher Williams completed a spacewalk on March 18, 2026, that included work preparing the International Space Station for future upgrades. STORIE will ultimately operate outside the station as part of the STP-H11 payload.
It's a good example of why I enjoy following these missions beyond launch day.
A crew arrives at the station. Astronauts perform spacewalks and prepare hardware. A cargo spacecraft launches months later carrying new experiments. Those experiments are installed and operated aboard the station. Scientists on Earth analyze the results.
The missions overlap in ways we don't always see when we're watching an individual rocket leave the pad.
Now that's a STORIE worth telling.
And Finally... Dust
Last up is Laplace.
Laplace observes what happens when tiny dust grains collide and aggregate in microgravity.
Why do we care about dust bumping into other dust? Because that's part of how you get planets.
Our solar system began as a disk of gas and dust surrounding the young Sun. Tiny particles collided and began sticking together. Those clumps grew larger and larger, eventually contributing to the formation of planetesimals and, over immense periods of time, planets.
Studying those earliest interactions is difficult on Earth because gravity interferes with the behavior researchers are trying to observe. Microgravity gives scientists an opportunity to watch these collisions under very different conditions and refine our models of how planetary systems form.
So yes. Dust happens. Apparently, sometimes it also becomes Earth.
Bringing the CRS-34 Science Home
Getting science to the International Space Station is only part of what made CRS-34 important. Dragon can also bring it back. Before CRS-34 departed the station, crew members packed the spacecraft with completed experiments, research samples, and other materials for the return journey. That ability to return scientific samples to Earth allows researchers to continue their work in laboratories on the ground.
When Dragon splashed down on June 17, the spacecraft wasn't simply an empty delivery truck coming home. It was bringing part of the laboratory back with it.
Comments