For the first time, SpaceX launched a recycled rocket with a recycled capsule on a grocery run for NASA. The unmanned Falcon took flight again after a six-month turnaround, and on board was a Dragon supply ship. Also, a second-time flier prepared to deliver some goodies just in time for Christmas. It was NASA’s first use of a reused Falcon rocket and only the second use of a previously flow Dragon. The Dragon last visited the 250-mile-high outpost in 2015. This time it had 5,000 pounds of goods, including 40 mice for a muscle-wasting study, and a first-of-its-kind impact sensor, which will measure space debris as small as a grain of rice. There were also barley seeds for a germination experiment, conducted by Budweiser, which is trying to serve the first beer on Mars. SpaceX wants to salvage as much as possible from rockets after they lift off, and is not letting first-stage boosters sink into the ocean.
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