Astronaut Megan McArthur Commands Robotic Arm to Capture Cygnus
The Cygnus space freighter approaches the space station following a day-and-a-half trip that began with a launch from Virginia. Credit: NASA TV
At 6:07 a.m. EDT, NASA astronaut Megan McArthur used the International Space Station’s robotic Canadarm2 to grapple the Northrop Grumman Cygnus spacecraft as ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Thomas Pesquet monitored Cygnus systems during its approach. The spacecraft were flying about 260 miles above the Atlantic Ocean southwest of Lisbon, Portugal, at the time of capture.
Next, ground controllers will command the station’s arm to rotate and install Cygnus, dubbed the S.S. Ellison Onizuka, on the bottom of the station’s Unity module.
NASA Television coverage of installation will begin at 8 a.m., and installation of the Cygnus spacecraft to the space station is expected to be completed later this morning. Cygnus will remain at the orbiting laboratory for a three-month stay.
The Cygnus space freighter is pictured moments before its capture with the Canadarm2 robotic arm on Feb. 22, 2021.
A Northrop Grumman cargo ship carrying more than 8,200 pounds of science and research investigations, supplies, and hardware is set to arrive at the International Space Station early this morning. The uncrewed Cygnus spacecraft launched at 5:56 p.m. EDT Tuesday, Aug. 10 on an Antares rocket from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.
When Cygnus arrives, NASA astronaut Megan McArthur will use the space station’s robotic Canadarm2 to capture it while ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Thomas Pesquet monitors telemetry during rendezvous, capture, and installation on the Earth-facing port of the Unity module.
Northrop Grumman named the Cygnus spacecraft for this resupply mission in honor of former NASA astronaut Ellison Onizuka, who was the first Asian American astronaut. Onizuka was hired in 1978 in the first class of diverse astronauts, and his first spaceflight was aboard space shuttle Discovery in January 1985 for STS-51-C. He lost his life aboard the space shuttle Challenger in 1986.
Cygnus on its Way to Station as Crew Maintains Research
The Cygnus space freighter from Northrop Grumman is pictured in the grips of the Canadarm2 robotic arm outside the cupola before its release on June 29, 2021.
The Expedition 65 crew is getting ready for the arrival of Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus cargo craft when it arrives Thursday morning. The International Space Station residents also continued microgravity research while preparing for an upcoming spacewalk today.
NASA TV will begin its broadcast of the Cygnus space freighter’s approach and rendezvous on Thursday at 4:45 a.m. EDT. NASA Flight Engineer Megan McArthur will be on duty in the cupola, the orbiting lab’s “window to the world,” and command the Canadarm2 robotic arm to grapple Cygnus at about 6:10 a.m. ESA (European Space Agency) Flight Engineer Shane Kimbrough will be on hand monitoring spacecraft activities and assisting her in the cupola.
After McArthur and Pesquet complete the capture activities, robotics controllers in Mission Control will remotely guide Cygnus in the grips of the Canadarm2 and install it to the Unity module’s Earth-facing port. Additionally, cosmonauts Oleg Novitskiy and Pyotr Dubrov are gathering excess Russian hardware today for disposal in Cygnus after its arrival.
McArthur and Pesquet had time for research work during the morning before spending the afternoon training for Cygnus’ arrival. McArthur injected algae into sample cassettes to nourish tardigrades, or “water bears,” being observed for their ability to survive extreme conditions. Pesquet focused on an experiment challenging European students to write computer code targeting conditions aboard spacecraft.
Commander Akihiko Hoshide and Flight Engineer Mark Vande Hei continued servicing U.S. spacesuits ahead of a spacewalk to prepare the Port-4 truss structure for more roll out solar array installation work. NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough cleaned and inspected vent fans in the Unity module and U.S. Quest airlock.
Crew Trains for Cygnus Arrival During Spacewalk Preps and Science
The Northrop Grumman Cygnus space freighter sits atop an Antares rocket at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. Credit: NASA/Terry Zaperach
The Expedition 65 crew is getting ready for a shipment of new science experiments and crew supplies due to launch toward the International Space Station today. The orbital residents are also gearing up for a spacewalk while conducting a variety of space research.
Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus space freighter sits atop an Antares rocket counting to down to a launch today at 5:56 p.m. EDT from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility on Virginia today. Flight Engineers Megan McArthur and Thomas Pesquet trained this morning for its approach and rendezvous including its capture with the Canadarm2 robotic arm planned for 6:10 a.m. on Thursday. NASA TV will broadcast both events live.
In the afternoon, the duo joined crewmates Shane Kimbrough, Mark Vande Hei and Akihiko Hoshide and reviewed cargo arriving inside Cygnus and its unpacking plans. The U.S. cargo craft is loaded with over 8,200 pounds of science investigations, station hardware and crew provisions.
Vande Hei and Hoshide spent their morning readying the U.S. Quest airlock for the next spacewalk. The pair will prepare the orbital lab’s Port-4 truss structure later this month for the future installation of new roll out solar arrays arriving on an upcoming SpaceX Cargo Dragon mission.
Research is ongoing as Kimbrough checked on Hatch chile plants growing inside the Columbus laboratory module for the Plant Habitat-4 space botany study. Vande Hei focused on servicing science gear as he swapped fuel bottles inside the Combustion Integrated Rack. Station Commander Hoshide turned on the Astrobee robotic helper and rehearsed maneuvers ahead of a student competition to program and control the devices.
Cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy focused on maintenance tasks in the station’s Russian segment replacing dust filters and checking video equipment. Flight Engineer Pyotr Dubrov, on his first spaceflight, worked on fans and filters inside the Nauka Multipurpose Laboratory Module then photographed microbes growing for a Russian science experiment.
Astronauts Relaxing Day Before Cygnus Cargo Ship Lifts Off to Station
Astronaut Thomas Pesquet is pictured inside the cupola, the space station’s “window to the world,” while orbiting above the Atlantic Ocean.
Northrop Grumman is “go” to launch its Cygnus space freighter atop an Antares rocket on Tuesday at 5:56 p.m. EDT. It will arrive at the International Space Station on Thursday for a capture at 6:10 a.m. with NASA Flight Engineer Megan McArthur at the controls of the Canadarm2 robotic arm.
Cygnus will lift off from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia with live NASA TV coverage beginning at 5:30 p.m. NASA TV will go back on the air at 4:45 a.m. on Thursday broadcasting Cygnus’ approach and rendezvous as ESA (European Space Agency) Flight Engineer Thomas Pesquet assists McArthur during the robotics activities.
Most of the Expedition 65 crew relaxed on Monday aboard the orbiting lab with some time set aside for blood and urine collections as well as battery swaps. McArthur and Pesquet processed the biological samples spinning them in a centrifuge before stowing them in a science freezer. McArthur also charged and swapped out batteries inside the Astrobee robotic helpers ahead of upcoming research activities planned for the devices.
The two cosmonauts in the station’s Russian segment had a full schedule as they continued focusing on cargo transfers from the Nauka Multipurpose Laboratory Module during the morning. Flight Engineers Oleg Novitskiy and Pyotr Dubrov then split up in the afternoon to work on a variety of life support and power supply maintenance.
