Archivo de la etiqueta: iss

Expedition 74 Opens Cygnus XL and Unpacks Advanced Science Gear

The hatches are open between Northrop Grumman’s second Cygnus XL cargo spacecraft and the International Space Station following its robotic capture and installation on Monday. The Expedition 74 crew is now beginning to unload some of the new science and crew supplies delivered on Monday.

NASA flight engineers Chris Williams and Jack Hathaway were the first crew members to enter Cygnus XL on Tuesday after a series of pressure and leak checks inside the spacecraft. They were joined soon after by flight engineers Jessica Meir of NASA and Sophie Adenot of ESA (European Space Agency) transferring time critical research samples stowed in Cygnus’ portable science freezers for preservation in the station’s MELFI science freezers and the MERLIN incubators.

Among the several tons of cargo Cygnus XL delivered Monday are over 2,300 pounds of new research hardware and science experiments. The crew will soon begin exploring blood stem cells to treat cancers and blood disorders, study ways to protect astronaut gut health, observe proteins suspended in water to advance pharmaceutical production, and install a quantum physics module to expand the abilities of the Cold Atom Lab. Other gear delivered aboard Cygnus XL include an advanced exercise system from ESA, new eye-imaging hardware, oxygen and nitrogen tanks to recharge spacesuits, and more.

Meanwhile, the Roscosmos Progress 93 resupply ship is nearing the end of its stay after seven months docked to the Zvezda service module’s aft port. Cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev, station commander and flight engineer, spent the day packing trash and obsolete equipment inside Progress before its departure later this month. The duo also configured the spacecraft’s docking hardware for the upcoming undocking activities.

Roscosmos flight engineer Andrey Fedyaev kicked off his shift collecting air samples inside Cygnus XL shortly after Williams and Hathaway opened the spacecraft’s hatch to protect the station’s environment. Fedyaev then spent the rest of his shift maintaining the Roscosmos segment’s orbital plumbing and ventilation systems.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station on X, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

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Mark A. Garcia

Canadarm2 Installs Cygnus XL Cargo Craft to Unity Module

Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus XL spacecraft has been installed to the Unity module’s Earth-facing port of the International Space Station. The mission is known as NASA’s Northrop Grumman Commercial Resupply Services 24, or Northrop Grumman CRS-24.

Filled with more than 11,000 pounds of research and supplies, the Northrop Grumman Cygnus XL spacecraft, carried on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, launched at 7:41 a.m. EDT on April 11, from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. This mission is the second flight of the Cygnus XL, the larger, more cargo-capable version of the company’s solar-powered spacecraft.

Cygnus will remain at the space station until October when it departs the orbiting laboratory at which point it will dispose of several thousand pounds of debris through its re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere where it will harmlessly burn up.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station on X, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

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Mark A. Garcia

Canadarm2 Reaches Out and Captures Cygnus XL Cargo Craft

At 1:20 p.m. EDT, NASA astronaut Chris Williams, with assistance from NASA astronaut Jack Hathaway, captured Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus XL spacecraft using the International Space Station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm.

NASA’s Mission Control Center at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston will use Canadarm2 to position the spacecraft for installation, then guide Cygnus XL to the Unity module’s Earth-facing port. NASA will not provide live coverage of the spacecraft’s installation.

NASA’s Northrop Grumman Commercial Resupply Services 24 mission launched at 7:41 a.m. on April 11 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, carrying more than 11,000 pounds of scientific investigations and cargo to the orbiting laboratory.

Northrop Grumman named the spacecraft the S.S. Steven R. Nagel in honor of the former NASA astronaut who flew four space shuttle missions, logging more than 720 hours in space.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station on X, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

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Mark A. Garcia

Cygnus XL Cargo Craft Approaching Station for Robotic Capture

NASA’s coverage is underway on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and the agency’s YouTube channel for the capture of Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus XL spacecraft. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of online platforms, including social media.

At approximately 12:50 p.m. EDT, NASA astronauts Jack Hathaway and Chris Williams will capture the spacecraft using the International Space Station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm. After capture, Cygnus will be installed on the Unity module’s Earth-facing port for cargo unloading. NASA will not provide live coverage of the spacecraft’s installation.

Cygnus XL launched at 7:41 a.m. April 11 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, carrying approximately 11,000 pounds of scientific investigations and cargo to the orbiting laboratory.

The mission is known as NASA’s Northrop Grumman Commercial Resupply Services 24, or Northrop Grumman CRS-24.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station on X, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

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Mark A. Garcia

Cygnus XL Cargo Craft Solar Arrays Deploy Powering Flight to Station

Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus XL spacecraft deployed its two solar arrays after launching earlier today at 7:41 a.m. EDT on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The mission is known as NASA’s Northrop Grumman Commercial Resupply Services-24, or Northrop Grumman CRS-24. 

Live coverage of the spacecraft’s arrival will begin at 12 p.m. Monday, April 13, on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and the agency’s YouTube channel. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of online platforms, including social media.

NASA astronauts Jack Hathaway and Chris Williams will capture Cygnus XL using the station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm at approximately 12:50 p.m. After capture, the spacecraft will be installed on the Unity module’s Earth-facing port and will remain at the station until October. NASA will not provide live coverage of the spacecraft’s installation. 

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station on X, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

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Mark A. Garcia