{"id":13893,"date":"2018-04-04T20:02:11","date_gmt":"2018-04-04T12:02:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/dragon-cargo-capsule-reaches-space-station-for-second-time\/"},"modified":"2018-04-04T20:02:11","modified_gmt":"2018-04-04T12:02:11","slug":"dragon-cargo-capsule-reaches-space-station-for-second-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/dragon-cargo-capsule-reaches-space-station-for-second-time\/","title":{"rendered":"Dragon cargo capsule reaches space station for second time"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_31402\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-31402\" style=\"width: 1114px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-31402\" src=\"http:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/DZ8H4DSXUAEfrrk.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1114\" height=\"743\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/DZ8H4DSXUAEfrrk.jpg 1114w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/DZ8H4DSXUAEfrrk-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/DZ8H4DSXUAEfrrk-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/DZ8H4DSXUAEfrrk-678x452.jpg 678w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1114px) 100vw, 1114px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-31402\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">SpaceX\u2019s Dragon spacecraft arrives at the International Space Station Wednesday. Credit: NASA\/JAXA\/Norishige Kanai<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>A commercial Dragon spacecraft glacially approached the International Space Station on Wednesday, allowing a robotic arm controlled by Japanese astronaut Norishige Kanai to reach out and grapple the supply ship as it soared 250 miles over Africa, completing SpaceX\u2019s 14th mission to the research complex, and the second by the same capsule.<\/p>\n<p>Taking navigation cues from laser ranging and thermal sensors, the Dragon spacecraft approached the space station from below, pausing at pre-planned points to allow ground controllers and station astronauts to assess the ship\u2019s performance.<\/p>\n<p>The rendezvous ran about 20 minutes ahead of schedule, and Kanai, a first-time space flier more than 100 days into his crew\u2019s station expedition, unlimbered the lab\u2019s Canadian-built robotic arm to snare the free-flying Dragon capsule at 6:40 a.m. EDT (1040 GMT).<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCapture complete,\u201d radioed station astronaut Scott Tingle, who assisted Kanai in Wednesday\u2019s operations. \u201cI don\u2019t think it gets any better than that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ground controllers in Houston and Canada took command of the robotic arm to maneuver the Dragon capsule to a berthing port on the station\u2019s Harmony module. Sixteen bolts closed to firmly attach the supply ship to the space station at 9 a.m. EDT (1300 GMT).<\/p>\n<p>Wednesday\u2019s arrival came a day-and-a-half after the Dragon spacecraft blasted off from Cape Canaveral aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Monday\u2019s launch flew with a previously-used Falcon 9 first stage booster, along with the recycled Dragon capsule.<\/p>\n<p>The Dragon capsule that arrived at the station Wednesday first flew on a round-trip mission to the orbiting outpost in April and May of 2016. It\u2019s the 14th time a SpaceX supply ship has reached the space station, including a demonstration mission in 2012, and the SpaceX\u2019s 14th full-up revenue-earning cargo mission under a more than $2 billion contract with NASA.<\/p>\n<p>One of those cargo flights failed during launch in 2015.<\/p>\n<p>The Dragon capsule delivered 5,836 pounds (2,647 kilograms) of cargo and experiments, including around two tons of hardware for research investigations and scientific instruments. Here\u2019s a breakdown of the Dragon\u2019s cargo manifest:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>2,359 pounds (1,070 kilograms) of science equipment<\/li>\n<li>2,041 pounds (926 kilograms of hardware in Dragon\u2019s unpressurized trunk<\/li>\n<li>758 pounds (344 kilograms) of crew supplies<\/li>\n<li>326 pounds (148 kilograms) of vehicle hardware<\/li>\n<li>218 pounds (99 kilograms) of spacewalking gear<\/li>\n<li>108 pounds (49 kilograms) of computer resources<\/li>\n<li>24 pounds (11 kilograms) of Russian cargo<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Astronauts inside the station planned to open hatches between the Harmony module and the Dragon\u2019s pressurized compartment Thursday to begin unpacking the roughly 1.9 tons of cargo inside. The space station\u2019s Canadarm 2 arm and Dextre robot will extract three payloads from Dragon\u2019s external cargo bay.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_31394\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-31394\" style=\"width: 675px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-31394\" src=\"http:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/asim_fov.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"675\" height=\"403\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/asim_fov.jpg 900w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/asim_fov-300x179.jpg 300w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/asim_fov-768x459.jpg 768w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/asim_fov-678x405.jpg 678w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 675px) 100vw, 675px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-31394\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Artist\u2019s illustration of the Atmosphere-Space Interactions Monitor\u2019s observing method from its mounting platform on the space station\u2019s Columbus module. Credit: Terma\/DTU\/ESA\/Jan Rasmussen<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The experiments carried in Dragon\u2019s pressurized module include a robotic testbed satellite that will be released from the space station in the next few months to study the effectiveness of techniques to capture a chunk of space junk and move it out of Earth orbit.<\/p>\n<p>Developed in a public-private partnership between the European Commission and European industry, the RemoveDebris mission will test the utility of nets and harpoons to capture tumbling objects in space, repurposing devices commonly used in fishing to pluck debris out of orbit and bring them into Earth\u2019s atmosphere to burn up.<\/p>\n<p>Guglielmo Aglietti, principal investigator for the RemoveDebris mission, calls the project a \u201cproof-of-concept.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Scientists also developed experiments to look at the effects of microgravity on bone marrow and wound healing. Lessons from those studies could help researchers develop ways to counteract negative health effects of long-duration spaceflight or bedrest, and investigate treatments for wounds soldiers suffer in combat.<\/p>\n<p>The Dragon capsule also carried frozen human and bull sperm samples to the space station, where astronauts will thaw the specimens, then add chemicals to activate the cells and allow them to become more mobile, a step required before the sperm can fuse with an egg for fertilization.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPrevious experiments with sea urchin and bull sperm suggest that activating movement happens more quickly in microgravity, while the steps leading up to fusion happen more slowly, or not at all,\u201d NASA wrote in an overview of the sperm experiment, known as Micro-11. \u201cDelays or problems at this stage could prevent fertilization from happening in space.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cResearchers will use video to assess how well the space sperm move,\u201d scientists wrote. \u201cFinally, the samples will be mixed with preservatives and returned to Earth, where they\u2019ll be analyzed to see whether the steps necessary for fusion occurred and whether the samples from space differ from sperm samples activated on the ground.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Scientists prepared a new method of delivering nutrients to vegetables grown on the space station to supplement the astronaut\u2019s diet. Seven new plant growth modules, developed in partnership between NASA and&nbsp;Tupperware Brands Corp., were delivered by the Dragon spacecraft Wednesday for testing with red romaine lettuce.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_31395\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-31395\" style=\"width: 985px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-31395\" src=\"http:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/veggie_plants.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"985\" height=\"656\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/veggie_plants.jpg 985w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/veggie_plants-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/veggie_plants-768x511.jpg 768w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/veggie_plants-678x452.jpg 678w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 985px) 100vw, 985px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-31395\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Leafy greens grown on the International Space Station. Credit: NASA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>There is also an experiment in sintering that could help engineers fabricate or repair tools and spacecraft components on future missions.&nbsp;New high-definition cameras and a custom HP printer for station astronauts also launched inside the Dragon capsule that reached the space station Wednesday.<\/p>\n<p>Payloads mounted inside the Dragon\u2019s trunk included the&nbsp;Atmosphere-Space Interactions Monitor, or ASIM, an instrument funded by the European Space Agency and led by Danish scientists to study lightning from the space station.<\/p>\n<p>The instrument\u2019s optical, X-ray and gamma ray sensors will observe electrical discharges high above thunderstorms \u2014 with names like blue jets, red sprites and elves \u2014 that extend up to the edge of space.<\/p>\n<p>Scientists know little about how the discharges are triggered, said&nbsp;Torsten Neubert, ASIM science team coordinator at the Technical University of Denmark.<\/p>\n<p>Lightning processes are slowed at high altitude, Neubert said, making it a good laboratory for studying how electrical discharges emanate through the atmosphere.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey are really lightning, except they are lightning processes in the upper atmosphere,\u201d Neubert said of sprites and jets. \u201cSo they look a little bit different, but if we understand them, we\u2019ll also understand normal lightning much better.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Once mounted outside the European Columbus module, the lightning monitor may help scientists pinpoint the sources of flashes of gamma rays detected coming from Earth\u2019s atmosphere by some astronomical instruments in space. Scientists also hope to study lightning\u2019s effects on ozone and other gases in the atmosphere during the instrument\u2019s two-year observing campaign.<\/p>\n<p>Also inside the trunk: A platform to expose materials like polymers, coatings, fabrics, computer chips, and solar cells to the harsh environment of space, helping engineers design future spacecraft. The&nbsp;Materials ISS Experiment Flight Facility, or MISSE-FF, was developed by Alpha Space, a Houston-based company that wants to offer the platform to companies seeking to test the resilience of materials to extreme temperatures, ionizing radiation, space junk and other hazards of spaceflight.<\/p>\n<p>NASA is also sending up a refurbished coolant pump for staging outside the space station as a spare for the orbiting lab\u2019s huge power truss segments.<\/p>\n<p>The Dragon spacecraft is scheduled to remain at the space station until May 2, when it will depart bring around two tons of scientific specimens back to Earth.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_31396\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-31396\" style=\"width: 1041px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-31396\" src=\"http:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/iss036e029140.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1041\" height=\"691\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/iss036e029140.jpg 1041w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/iss036e029140-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/iss036e029140-768x510.jpg 768w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/iss036e029140-678x450.jpg 678w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1041px) 100vw, 1041px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-31396\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Robonaut aboard the International Space Station. Credit: NASA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Also hitching a ride back home with the Dragon will be NASA\u2019s Robonaut 2, a humanoid robot launched on the final flight of the space shuttle Discovery in February 2011.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRobonaut has had some issues with being able to power up on-orbit \u2026 and after a lot of troubleshooting on-orbit and a lot of analysis on the ground, they\u2019ve concluded pretty conclusively that there\u2019s a short of some sort on one of the circuitboards, and they need to bring it home in order to repair that,\u201d said Pete Hasbrook, NASA\u2019s associate space station program scientist.<\/p>\n<p>Engineers developed Robotnaut as a testbed to see whether robots could help astronauts clean and maintain the space station, an objective aimed at freeing up crew time for more intensive tasks. A SpaceX Dragon cargo capsule delivered legs for Robonaut in 2014.<\/p>\n<p>Robonaut could be re-launched on a future mission after the repairs are finished.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe plan is to bring this one down, understand why it failed, and then make the decision of where we want to go in the future,\u201d said Joel Montalbano, NASA\u2019s deputy space station program manager.<\/p>\n<p><b><i>Email the author.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Follow Stephen Clark on Twitter: @StephenClark1.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>SpaceX\u2019s Dragon spacecraft arrives at the International Space Station Wednesday. Credit: NASA\/JAXA\/Norishige Kanai A commercial Dragon spacecraft glacially approached the International Space Station on Wednesday, allowing a robotic arm controlled by Japanese astronaut Norishige Kanai to reach out and grapple the supply ship as it soared 250 miles over Africa, completing SpaceX\u2019s 14th mission to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[2983,291,2730,1395,1060,831,2938,1545],"class_list":["post-13893","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-asim","tag-commercial-space","tag-denmark","tag-dragon","tag-european-commission","tag-european-space-agency","tag-expedition-55","tag-human-spaceflight"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13893"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13893"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13893\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13893"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13893"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13893"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}