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A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket loaded with supplies and science experiments blasted off from Florida on Tuesday, boosting an Orbital ATK cargo capsule toward the International Space Station.[...] Perched on top of the rocket was a Cygnus capsule loaded with nearly 7,500 pounds (3,400 kg) of food, science experiments and equipment including a 3-D printer to build tools for astronauts and non-stick grippers modeled after gecko feet.[...] The experimental Gecko Gripper is a new kind of adhesive that mimics the way gecko lizards cling to surfaces without falling. It aims to test a method of attaching things in the weightless environment of space. NASA is looking at robotic versions of gecko feet to attach sensors and other instruments onto and inside satellites.
Photo details: Leopard gecko (Eublepharis macularius), George Chernilevsky,2009. Wikimedia Commons, public domain.
