Space X will take Mexican experiment to the International Space Station: AEM

MEXICO - The Mexican Space Agency (AEM) informed that Elon Musk's Space-X will take a Mexican experiment to the International Space Station (ISS) on its “CRS-31” mission in mid-October.

The “Mechanism Compatible Biomimetic Compatible-1” (“MCB-1”), which will be launched from Cape Canaveral, and will remain six months in space in the “MISSE” module of the ISS, was presented by the scientific group of young people “Mat X Space”, and Salvador Landeros Ayala, general director of the AEM.

“Once again, the talent of our new generations shines, who will be in charge of developing the future space and satellite infrastructure of Mexico in this digital era, you fill us with pride, and put the name of the country on high,” said Landeros.

He explained that the experiment will drive the development of advanced intelligent materials to provide them with extraordinary mechanical properties to withstand the inhospitable conditions of space.

“The MISSE (Materials International Space Station Experiment-Aegis Aerospace) module is developing a series of experiments outside the ISS to test the performance and durability of materials and devices exposed to the space environment,” said the executive.

He explained that the “MCB-1” experiment is a work of Mexican ingenuity as it is miniaturized to 25.4 mm per side and weighs 8,180 grams, which will be exposed to space weather at extreme temperatures between -100°C and 120°C, which currently fracture or destroy traditional non-intelligent materials.

Mat X Space's Mexican idea proposes to mimic the resilience of nature's muscle fibers (hence the “Bio-mimetic”) and manufacture compatible space components such as “MCB-1”, in a special alloy of metal parts.

“MCB-1 has a thermal shape memory, it is a smart material inspired by terrestrial biology, which we will now test in space,” they explained.

The idea, if successful, would offer potential for future satellite projects, space exploration, and lunar ground operations.

Landeros recognized Laura Barajas, Jonathan Cruz, Maximiliano Flores, Iván Galaviz, Aurea Guzmán, Flavio Heredia, José Rodríguez, Omar Saldaña, Arlette Silva, Gerardo Pérez, and Nadia Zenteno, the inspiration of the country's youth with this Mexican mission, he concluded.