![\"Cygnus](\"https:\/\/blogs.nasa.gov\/spacestation\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/240\/2019\/02\/cygnus_release_020819.jpg\")
Northrop Grumman\u2019s Cygnus spacecraft was released from the Canadarm2<\/a> at 11:16 a.m. EST and has departed the International Space Station<\/a>. After an extended mission to deploy several CubeSats in multiple orbits, Cygnus is scheduled to be deorbited on Feb. 25 to enter the Earth\u2019s atmosphere and burn up harmlessly over the Pacific Ocean.<\/p>\n Expedition 58<\/a> Flight Engineers Anne McClain<\/a> of NASA and David Saint-Jacques<\/a> of the Canadian Space Agency used the station\u2019s robotic arm to release the craft, dubbed the \u201cSS John Young\u201d, after ground controllers unbolted the cargo vehicle from the Earth-facing port of the Unity module<\/a> earlier this morning.<\/p>\n This Commercial Resupply Services contract mission delivered dozens of new and existing investigations as Expedition 58 contributes to some hundreds of science and research studies. Highlights from the\u00a0new experiments<\/a>\u00a0include a demonstration of 3D printing and recycling technology and simulating the creation of celestial bodies from stardust.<\/p>\n The\u00a0Refabricator<\/a>\u00a0is the first-ever 3D printer and recycler integrated into one user-friendly machine. Once it\u2019s installed in the space station, it will demonstrate recycling of waste plastic and previously 3D printed parts already on-board into high-quality filament, or 3D printer \u201cink.\u201d This recycled filament will be fed into the printer as stock to make new tools and parts on-demand in space. This technology could enable closed-loop, sustainable fabrication, repair and recycling on long-duration space missions, and greatly reduce the need to continually launch large supplies of new material and parts for repairs and maintenance. The demonstration, which NASA\u2019s Space Technology Mission and Human Exploration and Operations Directorates co-sponsored, is considered a key enabling technology for in-space manufacturing. NASA awarded a\u00a0Small Business Innovation Research<\/a>\u00a0contract valued to\u00a0Tethers Unlimited Inc.<\/a>\u00a0to build the recycling system.<\/p>\n The Experimental Chondrule Formation at the International Space Station (EXCISS<\/a>) investigation will explore how planets, moons and other objects in space formed by simulating the high-energy, low-gravity conditions that were present during formation of the early solar system. Scientists plan to zap a specially formulated dust with an electrical current, and then study the shape and texture of the resulting pellets.<\/p>\n The Crystallization of LRRK2 Under Microgravity Conditions-2 (PCG-16<\/a>) investigation grows large crystals of an important protein, leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2), in microgravity for analysis back on Earth. This protein is implicated in development of Parkinson\u2019s disease, and improving our knowledge of its structure may help scientists better understand the pathology of the disease and develop therapies to treat it. LRRK2 crystals grown in gravity are too small and too compact to study, making microgravity an essential part of this research.\u00a0 This investigation is sponsored by the\u00a0International Space Station U.S. National Laboratory<\/a>, which Congress designated in 2005 to maximize its use for improving quality of life on Earth.<\/p>\n Cygnus launched Nov. 17, 2018<\/a>, on an Antares 230 rocket from\u00a0Virginia Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport\u2019s Pad 0A at Wallops, and arrived at the station Nov. 19<\/a> for the company\u2019s 10th NASA-contracted commercial resupply mission to the station.<\/p>\n This was the seventh flight of an enhanced Cygnus spacecraft, and the fourth using Northrop Grumman\u2019s upgraded Antares 230 launch vehicle featuring new RD-181 engines that provide increased performance and flexibility.<\/p>\n Get The Details…<\/a><\/p>\n Mark Garcia <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Northrop Grumman\u2019s Cygnus spacecraft was released from the Canadarm2<\/a> at 11:16 a.m. EST and has departed the International Space Station<\/a>. After an extended mission to deploy several CubeSats in multiple orbits, Cygnus is scheduled to be deorbited on Feb. 25 to enter the Earth\u2019s atmosphere and burn up harmlessly over the Pacific Ocean.<\/p>\n Expedition 58<\/a> Flight Engineers Anne McClain<\/a> of NASA and David Saint-Jacques<\/a> of the Canadian Space Agency used the station\u2019s robotic arm to release the craft, dubbed the \u201cSS John Young\u201d, after ground controllers unbolted the cargo vehicle from the Earth-facing port of the Unity module<\/a> earlier this morning.<\/p>\n This Commercial Resupply Services contract mission delivered dozens of new and existing investigations as Expedition 58 contributes to some hundreds of science and research studies. Highlights from the\u00a0new experiments<\/a>\u00a0include a demonstration of 3D printing and recycling technology and simulating the creation of celestial \u2026 Continue reading Astronauts Release U.S. Spacecraft from Station<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
The Cygnus is pictured moments after its release from the Canadarm2 robotic arm. Credit: NASA TV <\/p>\n