Dragon Approaches Station for Docking Live on NASA TV
The SpaceX Dragon resupply ship lifts off atop the Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy Space Center in Florida just after sunset. Credit: SpaceX
The SpaceX Dragon is on track to arrive at the International Space Station today, Saturday, July 16, with an expected docking of the cargo spacecraft about 11:20 a.m. EDT. NASA Television coverage will begin at 10 a.m. Watch live on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website.
When it arrives to the space station, Dragon will dock autonomously to the forward-facing port of the station’s Harmony module, with NASA astronauts Bob Hines and Jessica Watkins monitoring operations from the station.
Dragon successfully launched on the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at 8:44 p.m. EDT, Thursday, July 14, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, carrying more than 5,800 pounds of research, hardware, and supplies to the International Space Station.
Crew Awaits Dragon Filled with New Science Benefitting Humans
The SpaceX Dragon resupply ship lifts off atop the Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy Space Center in Florida just after sunset. Credit: NASA TV
More than 5,800 pounds of new science experiments and crew supplies are on their way to the International Space Station after the successful launch of the SpaceX Dragon cargo craft on Thursday. Dragon blasted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 8:44 p.m. and reached orbit less than nine minutes later beginning its day-and-a-half-long trip to the orbital lab.
The U.S. space freighter is scheduled to dock automatically to the Harmony module’s forward port at 11:20 a.m. on Saturday. NASA astronauts Bob Hines and Jessica Watkins will be on duty monitoring Dragon’s automated rendezvous and docking. NASA TV, on the agency’s app and website, will begin live coverage at 10 a.m. as Dragon approaches the station for a monthlong stay.
Astronauts Relax Before Busy Weekend of Cargo Dragon Preps
Expedition 67 astronauts (clockwise from left) Bob Hines, Jessica Watkins, Kjell Lindgren, and Samantha Cristofroetti pose for a portrait during dinner time aboard the space station.
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the Dragon cargo craft atop stands at the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. More than 5,800 pounds of new science experiments and crew supplies are packed inside Dragon awaiting a liftoff tonight at 8:44 p.m. EDT.
The U.S. commercial resupply ship will orbit Earth for a day-and-a-half before catching up to the International Space Station on Saturday. Expedition 67 Flight Engineers Bob Hines and Jessica Watkins of NASA will be on duty monitoring Dragon during its automated approach and rendezvous until it automatically docks to the Harmony module’s forward port at 11:20 a.m.
Hines, Watkins, and NASA astronaut Kjell Lindgren are off-duty today relaxing before kicking off a weekend of preparations for the arrival of the SpaceX Dragon. The trio will spend Friday configuring station research hardware to accommodate the new science experiments as well as reviewing Dragon’s rendezvous and cargo operations. Hines and Watkins will open Dragon’s hatch about an hour-and-half after docking on Saturday. The duo will then be joined by Lindgren and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti to begin unpacking and activating critical research.
Cristoforetti was busy on Friday working on other ongoing space station experiments. She first reviewed procedures for an experiment that uses metal surfaces with different textures and properties as a way to prevent microbial growth in microgravity. Afterward, she connected the Kubik temperature-controlled incubator to the Columbus laboratory module’s power supply. Cristoforetti also turned on the Astrobee robotic free-flyers that began remotely maneuvering inside the Kibo laboratory module using algorithms programmed by students on Earth.
Commander Oleg Artemyev and Flight Engineer Denis Matveev participated in a fitness evaluation on Thursday morning. The cosmonauts took turns pedaling on an exercise cycle with sensors attached to themselves that monitored and recorded their cardiac activity. Flight Engineer Sergey Korsakov worked on Russian ventilation systems before videotaping and photographing crew activities on the station.
The SpaceX Dragon resupply ship, attached to the Falcon 9 rocket, rolls out to the launch pad and is raised to its vertical position at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Credit: SpaceX
The Expedition 67 crew members are training for this weekend’s arrival of the SpaceX Dragon cargo craft to the International Space Station as it prepares for its launch on Thursday.
Mission managers have given the go for the SpaceX Dragon resupply ship as it counts down to a liftoff toward the space station at 8:44 p.m. EDT on Thursday. Dragon, attached to the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and carrying 5,800 pounds of science experiments and crew supplies, rolled out to the launch pad at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on Tuesday. The U.S. commercial cargo craft will orbit Earth for a day-and-a-half before docking to the Harmony module’s forward port at 11:20 a.m. on Saturday. NASA TV, on the agency’s app and website, will begin its live launch coverage at 8:15 p.m. on Thursday.
NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins and Bob Hines spent Wednesday afternoon reviewing procedures on a computer for Dragon’s automated rendezvous and docking to Harmony on Saturday. The two flight engineers were also joined by NASA astronaut Kjell Lindgren staging cargo that will be returned inside Dragon at the end of its monthlong mission at the orbital lab.
The three astronauts, including ESA (European Space Agency) Flight Engineer Samantha Cristoforetti, also called down to Houston today to begin planning for their return to Earth later this year. The quartet arrived at the station on April 27 aboard the Dragon Freedom as part of the SpaceX Crew-4 commercial crew mission.
Two cosmonauts, Commander Oleg Artemyev and Flight Engineer Sergey Korsakov, took turns on Wednesday participating in a long-running study that explores ways to pilot a spacecraft or operate a robotic rover on future planetary missions. Flight Engineer Denis Matveev inspected and wiped down surfaces for microbes in the Zvezda service module.
Health Checks, Space Gardening as Spacewalk Preps Ramp Up
Astronauts (from left) Jessica Watkins and Samantha Cristoforetti are pictured inside the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) during cargo stowage activities.
The Expedition 67 crew members kicked off Tuesday with health checks before moving on to space agriculture and spacewalk preparations. The International Space Station’s residents also worked on a host of life support systems and cargo operations.
Afterward, Watkins replaced components on a life support device that ensures oxygen and carbon dioxide levels remain safe aboard the station. Hines restocked the Human Research Facility’s supply kit with sample tubes, gloves, and wipes. Watkins and Hines later partnered together stowing cargo inside the NanoRacks Bishop Airlock. Lindgren wrapped up work for the Intelligent Glass Optics experiment then checked radishes and mizuna greens growing for the XROOTS space gardening study that uses hydroponic and aeroponic techniques.
Cristoforetti joined Commander Oleg Artemyev and checked telemetry and communications gear on a pair of Russian Orlan spacesuits they will wear for a spacewalk planned for July 21. The duo will exit the Poisk airlock at 10 a.m. EDT and spend about seven hours configuring the European robotic arm (ERA) for operations.
Roscosmos Flight Engineer Sergey Korsakov and Denis Matveev spent Tuesday preparing the station’s Russian segment for next week’s spacewalk activities. Korsakov continued checking out the ERA and its components from inside the Nauka multipurpose laboratory module. Flight Engineer Denis Matveev readied the Poisk module’s airlock for the two spacewalkers and closed Poisk’s hatch to the ISS Progress 80 cargo craft.
