{"id":15360,"date":"2016-07-20T22:41:56","date_gmt":"2016-07-20T14:41:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/dragon-cargo-craft-reaches-port-at-international-space-station\/"},"modified":"2016-07-20T22:41:56","modified_gmt":"2016-07-20T14:41:56","slug":"dragon-cargo-craft-reaches-port-at-international-space-station","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/dragon-cargo-craft-reaches-port-at-international-space-station\/","title":{"rendered":"Dragon cargo craft reaches port at International Space Station"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"A
A Dragon spacecraft loaded with nearly 5,000 pounds of cargo arrived at the International Space Station on Wednesday. Credit: NASA\/Jeff Williams<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A commercial resupply freighter owned and operated by SpaceX wrapped up a two-day trip to the International Space Station on Wednesday, delivering a new docking port and two tons of other equipment to research laboratory more than 250 miles (400 kilometers) above Earth.<\/p>\n

The equipment will support more than 250 science investigations in the coming months, and help ready the space station to receive new U.S.-built space capsules carrying astronauts as soon as next year.<\/p>\n

The Dragon spacecraft, measuring 12 feet (3.7 meters) in diameter and nearly 24 feet (7.2 meters) long, approached the space station from below, its outline growing in size backdropped by the blue hues of Earth.<\/p>\n

With laser ranging sensors and thermal cameras feeding rendezvous data to Dragon\u2019s flight computer, the cargo capsule slowly climbed toward the station from directly underneath, pausing at pre-selected locations before reaching a final capture point about 30 feet, or 10 meters, from the complex.<\/p>\n

Ground controllers at SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California, monitored the Dragon\u2019s approach, while engineers at NASA\u2019s control center in Houston were in charge of the space station.<\/p>\n

Astronaut Jeff Williams, at the controls of the station\u2019s Canadian-built robotic arm, grappled the Dragon spacecraft at 6:56 a.m. EDT (1056 GMT) as the outpost sailed more than 250 miles over the Great Lakes.<\/p>\n

\u201cHouston, station, on space-to-ground 2, we\u2019ve captured us a Dragon,\u201d Williams radioed mission control. \u201cCongratulations to the entire team that put this thing together, launched it, and successfuly rendezvoused it to the International Space Station. We look forward to the work that it brings.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"This
This view of a television monitor on the space station shows an overlay seen by astronauts as the Dragon cargo capsule approached the complex. Credit: NASA TV\/Spaceflight Now<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ground controllers took over the robotic arm to maneuver the solar-powered Dragon spaceship to the Earth-facing port on the station\u2019s Harmony module. Once in place, 16 bolts engaged to firmly attach the cargo delivery craft to the complex, where it will stay until Aug. 29, when it leaves and returns to a parachute-assisted splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.<\/p>\n

The rendezvous came two days after the Dragon spacecraft blasted off early Monday from Cape Canaveral atop a Falcon 9 rocket on SpaceX\u2019s ninth operational resupply run to the space station. The company is under contract for at least 17 more cargo flights through 2024.<\/p>\n

The mission\u2019s cargo manifest includes 4,976 pounds \u2014 nearly 2.3 metric tons \u2014 of supplies and experiments, including a new docking system to connect with the CST-100 Starliner and Crew Dragon piloted spacecraft made by Boeing and SpaceX under commercial partnerships with NASA.<\/p>\n

The International Docking Adapter-2, or IDA-2, is bolted inside the Dragon\u2019s unpressurized cargo carrier, or trunk. The space station\u2019s robotic arm will pluck the docking adapter from the Dragon\u2019s trunk Aug. 16, and Williams and crewmate Kate Rubins will go outside on a spacewalk Aug. 18 to help install the new docking port on the front end of the Harmony module, where the CST-100 Starliner and Crew Dragon crew capsules will park with arriving astronauts.<\/p>\n

A similar docking adapter was lost in June 2015 when a Falcon 9 rocket disintegrated over the Atlantic Ocean two minutes after launch, destroying a Dragon cargo freighter and its contents.<\/p>\n

\"International
International Docking Adapter-2 was installed into the Dragon spacecraft\u2019s trunk section May 19. Credit: SpaceX<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

IDA-2 weighed about 1,029 pounds (467 kilograms) at launch, measuring about 42 inches (1.1 meters) tall and 63 inches (1.6 meters) wide.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe docking adapter is another step forward to enabling the commercial crew vehicles,\u201d said Joel Montalbano, NASA\u2019s deputy program manager for space station utilization.<\/p>\n

The docking port is one of the largest external components to be added to the space station since large-scale assembly of the outpost ended with the retirement of the space shuttle in 2011.<\/p>\n

Spacewalkers will install the docking adapters over the station\u2019s existing U.S. arrival ports designed for space shuttle dockings. The new docking ports use a different design to receive any spacecraft, including the SpaceX Crew Dragon and Boeing CST-100 Starliner spacecraft, future cargo freighters, and other craft yet to be developed.<\/p>\n

Kirk Shireman, NASA\u2019s International Space Station program manager, said before Monday\u2019s launch that the docking adapters are built to an international, open-source standard. The design could be used if NASA deploys mini-space station near the moon in the 2020s, a project that could be a stepping stone to fine-tune techniques and technologies for a future human expedition to Mars.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s quite possible, although we don\u2019t have a definitive plan, that we\u2019ll fly something very similar to this idea to cis-lunar space in the future,\u201d Shireman said.<\/p>\n

NASA signed a $9 million contract with Boeing to build a third docking port to replace the unit lost last year. It is set for launch on a SpaceX Dragon capsule in 2018. The space agency wants two docking adapters on the space station to support the presence of two U.S. crew vehicles at the same time.<\/p>\n

\"Artist's
Artist\u2019s concept showing the locations planned for the first two International Docking Adapters. IDA 2, set for launch this summer, will take the place intended to be occupied by IDA 1 on the forward part of the Harmony module. IDA 3 will take the zenith port on Harmony. Credit: NASA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The space station needs two docking ports outfitted for the CST-100 Starliner and Crew Dragon capsules for two of the capsules to reside at the complex simultaneously. That would allow for a new space station expedition crew to arrive before the old crew departs.<\/p>\n

With one docking port, the outgoing crew must return to Earth before a fresh crew arrives.<\/p>\n

SpaceX and Sierra Nevada Corp. plan to offer NASA the option of docking capability on future resupply missions with the Dragon and Dream Chaser cargo spacecraft. Orbital ATK, NASA\u2019s other cargo transportation provider, is sticking with the berthing scheme currently in use, which allows bigger equipment to be transferred inside the space station through a larger hatch.<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously, with two docking ports, we\u2019re golden,\u201d Shireman said. \u201cThe real tricky part is when you start throwing in cargo vehicles that are going to dock. Now you have three vehicles, and you only have two ports, and things get a little more complicated.\u201d<\/p>\n

Russian Progress cargo freighters dock to the space station at different points on the Russian section of the complex.<\/p>\n

In the weeks leading up to next month\u2019s installation of the new docking adapter, the space station\u2019s Expedition 48 crew will unpack 3,946 pounds (1,790 kilograms) of cargo inside Dragon\u2019s pressurized cabin.<\/p>\n

The mission\u2019s cargo manifest provided by NASA lists 2,050 pounds (930 kilograms) of science experiments, 815 pounds (370 kilograms) of crew provisions like food and clothing, 617 pounds (280 kilograms) of vehicle hardware, and 280 pounds (127 kilograms) of spacewalking gear, including a spacesuit.<\/p>\n

Other items include computer resources and supplies for the Russian segment of the space station.<\/p>\n

Dragon delivered specimens inside refrigerators and freezers, plus experiments aimed at human research, physical sciences, Earth and space sciences, technology demonstrations, and education, scientists said.<\/p>\n

\u201cDragon is a really important vehicle for science because of its capabilities in launching live samples, and also for its return capability,\u201d said Julie Robinson, NASA\u2019s space station program scientist. \u201cWe have about 930 kilograms (2,050 pounds) of research samples going up, and about 580 kilograms (1,278 pounds) of samples coming back home.\u201d<\/p>\n

One experiment delivered to the space station by the Dragon supply ship will demonstrate DNA sequencing in orbit for the first time.<\/p>\n

With the help of space station flight engineer Kate Rubins, an infectious disease expert, scientists hope to sequence the first genome in microgravity, a breakthrough that could lead to improved identification of dangerous microbes inside spacecraft, the diagnosis of diseases, monitoring of astronaut health, and the detection of DNA-based life elsewhere in the solar system.<\/p>\n

\"The
The MinION (aka Biomolecule Sequencer), a miniaturized DNA sequencer, is made by Oxford Nanopore Technologies. The palm-sized sequencer is powered via USB connection to a laptop or tablet and does not require a battery. Credit: Oxford Nanopore Technologies<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThe samples that will be sequenced for the first time will be a mix of genomic DNA from a bacteria, a virus and a mouse,\u201d said Sarah Wallace, a microbiologist at NASA\u2019s Johnson Space Center in Houston. \u201cEach sample is identical, and we\u2019ll look at three different experiemnts to look at how the data compares on the ground when we do it versus on the ISS.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s going to be a game-changer to have this capability on the ISS, and we\u2019re really excited for all the research potential that could come,\u201d Wallace said.<\/p>\n

Rubins helped plan the DNA sequencing experiment, and Wallace said the astronaut\u2019s expertise will be \u201cinvaluable.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s worked with it, she\u2019s had the hardware in her hands, she\u2019s put a lot of thought into it, so we really do think that that\u2019s going to benefit us,\u201d Wallace said. \u201cOf course, our goal is that any crew member could operate this, but I think that life sciences, as a whole, is going get a wealth of information in getting feedback from Kate on all the various experiments that she does while she\u2019s up there.\u201d<\/p>\n

The sequencing device to be tested in the coming weeks could also be used for research into RNA and protein, Wallace said.<\/p>\n

Other investigations aided by SpaceX\u2019s resupply run include a study into the heart\u2019s response to microgravity, an experiment in how to better protect computers from radiation in space, a test of a new spacecraft cooling system, and a demonstration of how to improve tracking of maritime traffic from space.<\/p>\n

Email the author.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

Follow Stephen Clark on Twitter: @StephenClark1.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Dragon spacecraft loaded with nearly 5,000 pounds of cargo arrived at the International Space Station on Wednesday. Credit: NASA\/Jeff Williams A commercial resupply freighter owned and operated by SpaceX wrapped up a two-day trip to the International Space Station on Wednesday, delivering a new docking port and two tons of other equipment to research […]<\/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":[524,1395,3605,1545,2547,3631,717,1602],"class_list":["post-15360","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-commercial-crew","tag-dragon","tag-expedition-48","tag-human-spaceflight","tag-ida","tag-ida-2","tag-international-space-station","tag-iss-cargo"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15360"}],"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=15360"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15360\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15360"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15360"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15360"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}