A few days ago, SpaceX sent a Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station for supplies and cargo. One of the most interesting parts of the mission was not the usage of SpaceX’s recoverable rockets, but the delivery of a space experiment designed by a 15-year old girl from Dubai.
Alia Almansoori won this year’s ‘Genes in Space’ program conducted by Boeing and miniPCR. Alia’s experiment consisted of a study about the effects of heat-shock proteins in the highly-radiated premises of space. The intention is to find out if the intense radiation in space stimulates the production of heat-shock proteins. Therefore, her space experiment will determine whether space conditions activate the genes that produce these proteins.
“It’s a big thing to dream about... I’m only 15 & I’m sending my experiment to space, so … there’s no impossible!” #NASASocial #Dragon pic.twitter.com/wQ2ivGIWiO
— ISS Research (@ISS_Research) August 14, 2017
Alia’s experiment could come handy in future missions involving long duration space missions, like a manned mission to Mars or beyond. The experiment will help scientists find different ways to look for protecting the human body from space radiations other than the use of a bulky space suit. Alia herself wants to be a part of the first mission to Mars. “Actually, I want to be one of the first astronauts to go to Mars. It's a big dream, but there is no 'impossible,'” she added.
