The SpaceX Dragon capsule successfully took off from Cape Canaveral this week with a massive load of supplies headed for the International Space Station. Among the scientific instruments, food and other important supplies for the astronauts, the 5,500 pound load also contained Nickelodeon Slime.
That’s right, the same neon green slime that has been splashing kids and celebs for years is headed to outer space for educational purposes. Scientists aboard the ISS will be conducting experiments to see how Double Dare’s famous green goo performs in microgravity, but the real purpose of the special slime promotion is to get kids excited about STEM research and education.
We're sending slime where it's never gone before, to the International Space Station! But first… 🚀 @ISS_CASIS pic.twitter.com/Ya7uNPwbGV
— Nickelodeon (@Nickelodeon) July 19, 2019
“We’re going to slime a couple of astronauts and put it through a couple demonstrations,” said Andrew Machles, a vice president of public affairs at Viacom, which owns Nickelodeon.
In addition to the Nickelodeon slime, the supply load also contained an Adidas soccer ball. “Observing and measuring the motion of soccer balls in microgravity improves understanding of the general behavior of free-flying objects,” NASA explained. “This could contribute to better design and use of free-flying objects such as small robots in spacecraft.”
Sounds like the six astronauts aboard the ISS will be having a pretty fun time for the next few weeks!
—Shahrzad Warkentin
Featured photo: Nickelodeon via Twitter
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