 |
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL – Two days after a stunningly beautiful and technically flawless middle-of the-night launch atop a commercial SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket Saturday, May 4, the private Dragon resupply craft arrived at the International Space Station early this morning, Monday, May 6 loaded with approximately 5,500 pounds of NASA cargo and science investigations.
After Dragon executed a carefully choreographed series of thruster maneuvers it arrived in the vicinity of the International Space Station early this morning and was grappled while traveling over the north Atlantic Ocean by Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques of the Canadian Space Agency and American astronaut Nick Hague of NASA at 7:01 a.m. EDT using the space station’s robotic arm Canadarm2.
Ground controllers than started the process of sending commands to begin the robotic installation of the spacecraft on bottom of the station’s Harmony module by maneuvering it ever closer to the berthing port.
 |
The SpaceX Dragon CRS-17 cargo craft approaches the International Space
Station for a robotic capture on May 6, 2019. Credit: NASA
|
By 9:35 a.m. all 16 bolts and latches were driven home for a hard mate.
All the arrival, grappling, installation and
berthing activities were covered live on NASA Television.
 |
May 6, 2019:
International Space Station Configuration. Six spaceships are docked at the
space station including the SpaceX Dragon, Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus space
freighter and Russia’s Progress 71 and 72 resupply ships and the Soyuz MS-11
and MS-12 crew ships. Credit: NASA
|
 |
The
SpaceX Falcon 9 and Dragon CRS-17 cargo vessel lift off
from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on May 4, 2019, on its way to the
International Space Station. CRS-17 is the 17th
SpaceX mission to the ISS carrying over 5,500 pounds of NASA cargo and
science investigations – as seen from the VAB roof at NASA’s Kennedy Space
Center, FL. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com
|
CRS-17 is the 17th SpaceX resupply mission to the ISS.
 |
The
SpaceX Falcon 9 and Dragon CRS-17 cargo vessel lift off from Cape Canaveral Air
Force Station on May 4, 2019, on its way to the International Space Station. CRS-17
is the 17th SpaceX mission to the ISS carrying over 5,500 pounds of
NASA cargo and science investigations. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com
|
As of today there are six visiting vehicles docked at the ISS including the SpaceX CRS-17 Dragon, Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus NG-11 space freighter and Russia’s Progress 71 and 72 resupply ships and the Soyuz MS-11 and MS-12 crew ships.
The six person crew multinational Expedition 59 from the US, Russia and Canada will open hatches later today and begin unloading the cargo.
The six person Expedition 59 crew comprises astronauts David Saint-Jacques of the Canadian Space Agency and Anne McClain of NASA; cosmonauts Oleg Konenenko and Alexey Ovchinin of Roscosmos; and NASA astronauts Nick Hague and Christina Koch.
CRS-17 will remain at the station about 1 month. The crew will reload the ship with about 4200 pounds of science samples, hardware and materials for the return trip to Earth in early June.
This Dragon is refurbished and recycled and previously flew on the prior CRS- 12 mission to the station in Aug 2017.
The 20-foot
high, 12-foot-diameter Dragon CRS-17 vessel is jam packed with more than 5500 pounds (2500 kilograms) of science experiments,
research hardware, space parts, food water, clothing and more supplies for the six
person Expedition 59 and 60 crews.
The science payload alone amounts to 1601 pounds, 726 kg - including the two unpressurized cargo payload carried up in the truck and to be mounted externally: namely NASA’s Orbiting Carbon Observatory-3 (OCO-3) which will measure levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere during its planned 3 year mission and the Space Test Program-Houston 6 (STP-H6).
Overall the CRS-17 manifest includes:
The science payload alone amounts to 1601 pounds, 726 kg - including the two unpressurized cargo payload carried up in the truck and to be mounted externally: namely NASA’s Orbiting Carbon Observatory-3 (OCO-3) which will measure levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere during its planned 3 year mission and the Space Test Program-Houston 6 (STP-H6).
Overall the CRS-17 manifest includes:
Total Cargo: 5,472 pounds / 2,482 kilograms
Total Pressurized Cargo with Packaging: 3,344
pounds / 1,517 kilograms
Unpressurized Payloads: 2,128 pounds / 965 kilograms
From NASA: Here’s some of the science arriving at station
Scientists are using a new technology called tissue chips, which could help predict the effectiveness of potential medicines in humans. Fluid that mimics blood can be passed through the chip to simulate blood flow, and can include drugs or toxins. In microgravity, changes occur in human health and human cells that resemble accelerated aging and disease processes. This investigation allows scientists to make observations over the course of a few weeks in microgravity rather than the months it would take in a laboratory on Earth.
The Hermes facility allows scientists to study the dusty, fragmented debris covering asteroids and moons, called regolith. Once installed by astronauts on the space station, scientists will be able to take over the experiment from Earth to study how regolith particles behave in response to long-duration exposure to microgravity, including changes to pressure, temperate and shocks from impacts and other forces. The investigations will provide insight into the formation and behavior of asteroids, comets, impact dynamics and planetary evolution.
These are just a few of the hundreds of investigations that will help us learn how to keep astronauts healthy during long-duration space travel and demonstrate technologies for future human and robotic exploration beyond low-Earth orbit to the Moon and Mars. Space station research also provides opportunities for other U.S. government agencies, private industry, and academic and research institutions to conduct microgravity research that leads to new technologies, medical treatments, and products that improve life on Earth.
……From NASA: Here’s some of the science arriving at station
Scientists are using a new technology called tissue chips, which could help predict the effectiveness of potential medicines in humans. Fluid that mimics blood can be passed through the chip to simulate blood flow, and can include drugs or toxins. In microgravity, changes occur in human health and human cells that resemble accelerated aging and disease processes. This investigation allows scientists to make observations over the course of a few weeks in microgravity rather than the months it would take in a laboratory on Earth.
The Hermes facility allows scientists to study the dusty, fragmented debris covering asteroids and moons, called regolith. Once installed by astronauts on the space station, scientists will be able to take over the experiment from Earth to study how regolith particles behave in response to long-duration exposure to microgravity, including changes to pressure, temperate and shocks from impacts and other forces. The investigations will provide insight into the formation and behavior of asteroids, comets, impact dynamics and planetary evolution.
These are just a few of the hundreds of investigations that will help us learn how to keep astronauts healthy during long-duration space travel and demonstrate technologies for future human and robotic exploration beyond low-Earth orbit to the Moon and Mars. Space station research also provides opportunities for other U.S. government agencies, private industry, and academic and research institutions to conduct microgravity research that leads to new technologies, medical treatments, and products that improve life on Earth.
Watch my commentary at CBS Orlando WKMG about the SpaceX Cargo
and Crew Dragon mission in lead video:
Watch my commentary at Fox 35 TV
News Orlando about the SpaceX Crew Dragon testing failure here and the implications
for delay in future Crew Dragon test flights here:
Watch for Ken’s continuing
onsite coverage of NASA, SpaceX, ULA, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman
and more space and mission reports direct from the Kennedy Space Center, Cape
Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida and Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia.
Stay tuned here for Ken's continuing Earth and Planetary science and human spaceflight news: www.kenkremer.com –www.spaceupclose.com – twitter @ken_kremer – email: ken at kenkremer.com
Dr. Kremer is a research scientist and journalist based in the KSC area, active in outreach and interviewed regularly on TV and radio about space topics.
Stay tuned here for Ken's continuing Earth and Planetary science and human spaceflight news: www.kenkremer.com –www.spaceupclose.com – twitter @ken_kremer – email: ken at kenkremer.com
Dr. Kremer is a research scientist and journalist based in the KSC area, active in outreach and interviewed regularly on TV and radio about space topics.
………….
Ken’s photos are for sale and he is available for lectures and outreach events
Ken’s photos are for sale and he is available for lectures and outreach events
No comments:
Post a Comment