{"id":40150,"date":"2012-04-20T17:35:57","date_gmt":"2012-04-20T09:35:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/cargo-up-and-down-dragon-to-demonstrate-the-importance-of-downmass\/"},"modified":"2012-04-20T17:35:57","modified_gmt":"2012-04-20T09:35:57","slug":"cargo-up-and-down-dragon-to-demonstrate-the-importance-of-downmass","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/cargo-up-and-down-dragon-to-demonstrate-the-importance-of-downmass\/","title":{"rendered":"Cargo up and down: Dragon to demonstrate the importance of downmass"},"content":{"rendered":"

When SpaceX\u2019s Dragon spacecraft heads uphill at the end of the month, the young spacecraft has a long set of objectives to pass prior to being given permission to arrive at the International Space Station (ISS). However, should Dragon achieve the historic first, it will not only provide some welcome cargo, but it will have the opportunity to show off its downmass ability.<\/p>\n

Dragon Mission C2+:<\/p>\n

A complete success of Dragon\u2019s double set of COTS (Commercial Orbital Transportation Services) mission objectives will be extremely hard to achieve.<\/p>\n

\"\"As such, SpaceX\u2019s four leaf clover \u2013 once again making the mission patch (not yet confirmed to be official, but acquired via L2 documentation) \u2013 will hope to add an element of luck to Dragon\u2019s opening objects related to the C2 elements of the mission, allowing for the flight\u2019s progression into the complicated C3 elements associated with proximity operations, as Dragon gains the \u201cTally Ho\u201d from the International Space Station.<\/p>\n

Should Dragon negotiate the communications, positioning and abort requirements, the ultimate aim of edging ever closer to the ISS \u2013 in order for the Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS) to capture and berth Dragon to the orbital outpost \u2013 would result in a major success and a notable first, as Dragon becomes the first commercial spacecraft to arrive at Station.<\/p>\n

\"\"Upon the completion of the nominal leak checks, hatch opening between the ISS and Dragon will not only provide yet another milestone, but also a welcome bonus for the Station\u2019s crew, given the SpaceX vehicle will be carrying 520kg of cargo (or 460kg minus the packaging).<\/p>\n

The manifested cargo includes Food and Crew Provisions, 306 kilograms\u2019 worth in total, including crew meals and crew clothing.<\/p>\n

\u201c13 bags standard rations. Food, about 117 standard meals, and 45 low-sodium meals. 5 bags low sodium rations. Crew clothing. Pantry items (batteries, etc). SODF and Official Flight Kit,\u201d noted the manifest, as listed under USOS (U.S. On-Orbit Segment) Cargo.<\/p>\n

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Dragon will also be carrying what is classed as Utilization Payloads, 21 kilograms worth in total, including the NanoRacks Module 9 \u2013 and ice bricks \u2013 for cooling and transfer of experiment samples for US National Laboratory.<\/p>\n

\"\"\u201cNanoRacks-CubeLabs Module-9 uses a 2 cube unit box for student competition investigations using 15 liquid mixing tube assemblies that function similar to commercial glow sticks. Science goals for NanoRacks-CubeLabs Module-9 range from microbial growth to water purification in microgravity,\u201d added the manifest.<\/p>\n

Also included in the upmass are Cargo Bags (123 kilograms), which will be repositioned for future flights. Computers and supplies (10 kilograms), such as a Laptop, batteries, power supply cables will also ride uphill with the Dragon.<\/p>\n

None of the manifest cargo is deemed as vital to the ISS, meaning the Station will not miss out on critical items in the event Dragon is unable to arrive at the ISS.<\/p>\n

\"\"Cargo runs in general are vital to the Station, however, not least since the end of the massive capability enjoyed by the ISS via the Space Shuttle fleet. With the orbiters now retired, an array of resupply vehicles are aiming to take up the slack, ranging from the ongoing Russian Progress vehicles, to Europe\u2019s ATV, Japan\u2019s HTV and \u2013 to a very small extent \u2013 the Russian Soyuz vehicles.<\/p>\n

However, it was the additional capability of the Shuttle\u2019s downmass role with the ISS that was often understated during the final years of their flights to the Station, something the Russian, European and Japanese resupply vehicles could not mitigate once the fleet was retired, bar the very small downmass allowed by the Soyuz.<\/p>\n

The orbiter\u2019s downmass ability was also wide-ranging, be it biological cargo that required sending back to Earth via the middeck, right through to large Orbital Replacement Units (ORUs) in the payload bay of the shuttle.<\/p>\n

While Orbital\u2019s Cygnus is aiming to join Dragon in resupplying the Station under the Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract, only Dragon can provide some mitigation to the downmass requirement. Should Dragon\u2019s mission prove to be a success, this downmass ability will be demonstrated on the C2+ mission.<\/p>\n

Click here for other Dragon News Articles: http:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/tag\/dragon\/<\/p>\n

Once again, none of the manifest cargo for return is classed as important, allowing Dragon an \u201cout\u201d, should the vehicle fail to complete the ISS leg of its mission. However, a full manifest of downmass has been revealed.<\/p>\n

This includes items named as \u201cCrew Preference Items\u201d, 143 kilograms in total, downmass that will include official flight kit items.<\/p>\n

See Also<\/h4>\n