SpaceX Sends A Strange Valentine’s Gift To Space, A Super Bacteria Is Enroute To ISS

SpaceX will be launching a rocket into space on Valentine's Day, Feb. 14, bringing the deadly antibiotic-resistant Staph bacteria to the International Space Station. A group of scientists headed by Dr. Anita Goel will study the bacteria's mutation rate at zero-gravity to better understand how to counteract its effects.

SpaceX is helping Dr. Goel in achieving a Precision Medicine revolution on Earth by sending deadly pathogens in space. Dr. Goel is the recipient of a $500,000 grant after winning the Galactic Grant Competition. In the said venue, she details her plans, which involve a trip to the ISS to find a cure for deadly organisms. The first pathogen to go to space is the Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), an efficient killer that has claimed more lives each year as compared to HIV, Parkinson's, emphysema and violence combined.

The super bacteria is piggybacking on a SpaceX rocket, which delivers vital supplies to space station including Science equipments. Scientists believe that MRSA on zero-gravity will undergo rapid mutation, which is not seen on Earth because of gravity according to Futurism.. The accelerated mutation will allow scientists to understand its behavior and anticipate its next transformation in an urgent search for an effective cure.

MRSA's red swollen bumps on the outside are considered very mild as compared to the onslaught it wreaks on the body including joints, bones and even blood. Through the SpaceX cargo load, the bacteria will be in the ISS for further study. In this way, Scientists hope to create the next-generation of antibiotics.

In other news, SpaceX is getting a new vigor as it continues its pre-flight preparations for future launches. Launchings were halted after a rocket exploded during a launch pad test last September. Just this Sunday, SpaceX has completed its three-minute static fire test in the historic Kennedy Space Center, which is the same site that launched the Apollo astronauts to the moon. The said test is crucial to ascertain that both the rocket and the modified pad are ready for launch, Space.com reported.