A group of students at the University of South Florida are about to see their research blast off to the International Space Station. The team’s experiment centered on a special hydrogel designed to heal cuts and wounds, even under a space suit. Two mini-labs are set to launch Tuesday aboard SpaceX Mission 21. “It’s crazy. I feel like I’ll joke about it to a lot with my friends like, ‘Oh, my research is going to space,’ but with it coming up in four days, it doesn’t feel real,” USF biology student Jaiden Brick. “I feel I’m closing out my time in college with something super amazing, and I’m just really proud to be part of this team.” Once in orbit, astronauts will mix the hydrogel with micro-gravity. The samples will then be sent back to Tampa, where the team will see whether or not making it in space could help create a better treatment back on Earth. ...read more read less