SpaceX Dragon Departure from Space Station for NASA Targets Tuesday
The SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft is pictured departing the vicinity of the space station following its undocking from the Harmony module’s space-facing port on January 9, 2023.
Joint teams continue to evaluate weather conditions as a cold front passes through the splashdown zones off the coast of Florida to determine the best autonomous undocking opportunity.
Coverage of Dragon’s departure Tuesday will begin at 4:45 p.m. on the NASA+ streaming service via the web or the NASA app. Coverage also will air live on NASA Television, YouTube, and on the agency’s website. Learn how to stream NASA TV through a variety of platforms including social media.
After re-entering Earth’s atmosphere, the spacecraft will splash down off the coast of Florida, which will not be broadcast on NASA TV. Follow updates on return plans on the agency’s space station blog.
Crew Loads Dragon with NASA Science, Keeps Up Space Research
The waning gibbous Moon is pictured just above Earth’s horizon in this photograph from the station as it orbited 262 miles above a cloudy central Asia.
The Expedition 70 crew is continuing to pack a U.S. cargo spacecraft readying for its departure early next week. The seven residents living aboard the International Space Station also explored virtual reality while servicing a variety of science and life support hardware.
NASA and SpaceX are postponing the Sunday, Dec. 17, undocking of a SpaceX Dragon cargo resupply spacecraft from the International Space Station due to unfavorable weather conditions as a cold front passes through the splashdown zones off the coast of Florida.
Joint teams continue to evaluate weather conditions to determine the best opportunity for Dragon to autonomously undock from the space station with the next available opportunity no earlier than 5:05 p.m. EST Monday, Dec. 18.
Weather permitting for the Monday undocking, coverage of Dragon’s departure will begin at 4:45 p.m. on the NASA+ streaming service via the web or the NASA app. Coverage also will air live on NASA Television, YouTube, and on the agency’s website. Learn how to stream NASA TV through a variety of platforms including social media.
After re-entering Earth’s atmosphere, the spacecraft will splash down off the coast of Florida, which will not be broadcast on NASA TV. Follow updates on return plans on the agency’s space station blog.
Astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli of NASA and Satoshi Furukawa of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) resumed transferring science-packed cargo freezers from the station’s EXPRESS racks and into Dragon. The duo activated and configured the science freezers inside Dragon securing the preserved biological samples for retrieval and analysis on Earth.
Earlier, Moghbeli swapped out hardware inside the Solution Crystallization Observation Facility, a research device that investigates the morphology and growth of crystals. She also shook mixture tubes containing seed samples for a space botany study. Furukawa reconnected a power and communications unit inside combustion research hardware located in the Kibo laboratory module.
Commander Andreas Mogensen from ESA (European Space Agency) started his day on an experiment that aims to strengthen computer programming skills and promote STEM careers for students on Earth. Mogensen later wore virtual reality googles and watched a 360-degree movie to understand its stabilizing effect on the nervous system for the VR Mental Care experiment.
NASA Flight Engineer Loral O’Hara of NASA spent her day working on lab maintenance throughout the orbital outpost. She replaced orbital plumbing components and deployed a portable fan inside the Tranquility module then swapped out a broken wireless antenna in the Unity module.
The space station’s three cosmonauts stayed focused on their contingent of science activities and orbital systems upkeep. Flight Engineers Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub once again scanned their stomachs with an ultrasound device after breakfast for a Roscosmos space digestion study. Kononenko then repositioned eggs inside an incubator for a biology experiment while Chub transferred dismantled life support gear from the Zarya module and into Unity. Flight Engineer Konstantin Borisov spent his morning on orbital plumbing tasks then finished the day photographing and inspecting windows on the Zvezda service module.
Dream Chaser Undergoes Testing at NASA Test Facility in Ohio
NASA and Sierra Space are making progress on the first flight of the company’s Dream Chaser spacecraft to the International Space Station. The uncrewed cargo spaceplane is planned to launch its demonstration mission in 2024 to the orbital complex as part of NASA’s commercial resupply services. Credit: Sierra Space/Shay Saldana
NASA and Sierra Space are preparing for the first flight of the company’s Dream Chaser spacecraft to the International Space Station. Dream Chaser and its companion cargo module, called Shooting Star, arrived at NASA’s Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio, for environmental testing, scheduled to start in mid-December, ahead of its first flight, scheduled for the first half of 2024.
The Neil Armstrong Test Facility, part of NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, is home to multiple test facilities, including the Space Environments Complex and the In-Space Propulsion Facility, both stops for Dream Chaser. The complex is home to the Mechanical Vibration Facility, which subjects test articles to the rigorous conditions of launch.
While at Armstrong, the Dream Chaser winged spacecraft will be stacked atop its Shooting Star cargo module on the vibration table to experience vibrations like those during launch and re-entry to the Earth’s atmosphere.
Following vibration testing, Dream Chaser will be moved to the propulsion facility for thermal vacuum testing. Dream Chaser will be placed in a vacuum and exposed to low ambient pressures, low-background temperatures, and replicated dynamic solar heating, which simulates the environment the spacecraft will encounter during its mission. This facility is the only one capable of testing full-scale, upper stage rockets and rocket engines under simulated space conditions and conducting altitude hot fire.
After completion of testing at Armstrong, Dream Chaser will be shipped to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida for further launch preparations, currently scheduled for liftoff in the first half of 2024.
Dragon Waits for Departure as Crew Studies Space Health
The SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft approaches the space station 261 miles above Indonesia’s Savu Sea.
A U.S. cargo spacecraft is poised to undock from the International Space Station and return to Earth as mission managers monitor weather conditions at the return splashdown zones. Meanwhile, the seven Expedition 70 residents turned their attention to a variety of health activities and lab maintenance activities.
NASA and SpaceX are postponing the Saturday, Dec. 16, undocking of a SpaceX Dragon CRS-29 cargo resupply spacecraft from the International Space Station due to unfavorable weather conditions as a cold front passes through the splashdown zones off the coast of Florida.
Joint teams continue to evaluate weather conditions to determine the best opportunity for Dragon to autonomously undock from the space station with the next available opportunity no earlier than 5:05 p.m. EST Sunday, Dec. 17.
Weather permitting for the Sunday undocking, coverage of Dragon’s departure will begin at 4:45 p.m. on the NASA+ streaming service via the web or the NASA app. Coverage also will air live on NASA Television, YouTube, and on the agency’s website. Learn how to stream NASA TV through a variety of platforms including social media.
After re-entering Earth’s atmosphere, the spacecraft will splash down off the coast of Florida, which will not be broadcast on NASA TV. Follow updates on return plans on the agency’s space station blog.
Back on the space station, astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli from NASA and Andreas Mogensen from ESA (European Space Agency) were back on cargo duty Thursday as they transferred frozen research samples from station science freezers into science cargo freezers. Following its undocking, Dragon will return the biological specimens back to Earth for retrieval and analysis to understand the effects of microgravity on a variety of cells and organisms. The duo also partnered together loading trash and discarded items inside Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus space freighter. Cygnus is due to complete its mission later this month when the Canadarm2 robotic arm detaches it from the Unity module and releases it into Earth orbit for descent.
NASA Flight Engineer Loral O’Hara also assisted with the Cygnus cargo transfers while getting a health check and working on lab upkeep tasks through Thursday. Astronaut Satoshi Furukawa from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) took on the role of Crew Medical Officer checking O’Hara’s temperature, pulse, blood pressure, and respiratory rate during the morning. O’Hara then cleaned a hatch seal in Unity before replacing ventilation screens in the Tranquility module.
Furukawa took turns with Moghbeli during their shift conducting a hearing test then participating in Canadarm2 robotics training. The JAXA flight engineer wrapped up his day servicing and inspecting a diverse range of science, computer, and mission hardware.
Cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub joined each other after breakfast scanning their stomachs with an ultrasound device for a Roscosmos study investigating microgravity’s effect on digestion. Kononenko moved on for afternoon inspections in the Zvezda service module while Chub replaced smoke detectors inside the Poisk module. Flight Engineer replaced life support and electronics gear in the Nauka science module then cleaned Roscosmos fan screens
Dragon Departure Postponed, Microgravity Research Continues
Astronaut Andreas Mogensen works on the Aquamembrane-3 investigation exploring the contaminant rejection and water transport capabilities of advanced life support equipment.
The Expedition 70 crew continues packing the SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft while also keeping up microgravity research for NASA and its partners to advance humanity on Earth and in space.
NASA and SpaceX are postponing the Friday, Dec. 15, undocking of a SpaceX Dragon cargo resupply spacecraft from the International Space Station due to unfavorable weather conditions as a result of a cold front passing through the splashdown zones off the coast of Florida.
Joint teams continue to evaluate weather conditions to determine the best opportunity for Dragon to autonomously undock from the space station with the next available opportunity no earlier than 5:05 p.m. EST Saturday, Dec. 16.
Weather permitting for the Saturday undocking, coverage of Dragon’s departure will begin at 4:45 p.m. on the NASA+ streaming service via the web or the NASA app. Coverage also will air live on NASA Television, YouTube, and on the agency’s website. Learn how to stream NASA TV through a variety of platforms including social media.
After re-entering Earth’s atmosphere, the spacecraft will splash down off the coast of Florida, which will not be broadcast on NASA TV. Follow updates on return plans on the agency’s space station blog.
Astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli of NASA and Satoshi Furukawa of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) continued securing bags packed with return cargo and discarded items inside Dragon for the undocking and return to Earth’s gravity. Moghbeli also joined NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara and tended to biological samples on the station that will soon be stowed aboard Dragon.
Commander Andreas Mogensen of ESA (European Space Agency) turned his attention to the Northrop Grumman Cygnus spacecraft scheduled to depart later this month. Moghbeli joined Mogensen readying the private cargo craft for its robotic detachment from the Unity module and release back into Earth orbit for descent.
Meanwhile, a wide array of space science to improve life for astronauts in space and people on Earth is ongoing aboard the orbiting lab. The seven space station residents explored how weightlessness affects plant life, robotics, and more.
Cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub joined each other at the beginning of their shift and took turns pedaling on an exercise cycle. The Roscosmos flight engineers assisted each other attached electrodes to each other and collected blood pressure measurements during the periodic physical fitness evaluation. Flight Engineer Konstantin Borisov also participated in the exercise test at the end of his shift.
Kononenko later joined Borisov in the afternoon checking an incubator and a centrifuge holding egg samples for a space biology study. Chub wrapped up his day working on the Elektron oxygen generator and changing out smoke detectors.
Axiom Space has announced the launch date for its third private astronaut mission to the station for no earlier than Jan. 9, from Florida. Commander Michael Lopez-Alegria will lead Pilot Walter Villadei and Mission Specialists Alper Gezeravci and Marcus Wandt aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and stay aboard the orbital outpost for a two-week research mission.
