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<\/a>The SpaceX Cargo Dragon arrived just in time to deliver holiday treats, crew supplies and new science experiments to the Expedition 66<\/a> crew today. NASA Flight Engineers Raja Chari<\/a> and Thomas Marshburn<\/a> were on duty Wednesday morning monitoring Dragon\u2019s automated approach and docking to the Harmony module<\/a>\u2019s space-facing port that occurred at 3:41 a.m. EST<\/a>.<\/p>\n Less than two hours later, Dragon\u2019s hatch was opened as Chari and NASA Flight Engineer Kayla Barron<\/a> entered the vehicle and began unloading critical research hardware and samples. Marshburn offloaded and transferred rodents into new habitats that will soon be observed for the Mouse Habitat Unit-7<\/a> musculoskeletal system study.<\/p>\n Astronauts Mark Vande Hei<\/a> of NASA and Matthias Maurer<\/a> of ESA (European Space Agency) also joined in the cargo activities beginning to unpack crew supplies, spacewalk gear, station hardware, and computer equipment to replenish the orbiting lab. Vande Hei also started setting up a new cancer study<\/a>, delivered aboard Dragon, that could improve drug delivery methods as well as manufacturing processes. Dragon will stay at the station for one month before returning to Earth loaded with station hardware and completed microgravity research for analysis by engineers and scientists.<\/p>\n Over in the station\u2019s Russian segment, the Progress propulsion module that delivered the Prichal docking port<\/a> and attached it to the Nauka multipurpose laboratory module<\/a> on Nov. 26<\/a> is due to leave today. It will undock from Prichal at 6:03 p.m. and reenter the Earth\u2019s atmosphere several hours later for a fiery, but safe destruction above the south Pacific Ocean. Cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov<\/a> and Pyotr Dubrov<\/a> will be observing the Progress when it undocks and photographing its departure from the station. NASA TV will not provide live coverage of Progress\u2019 departure.<\/p>\n The space station blog is taking a short break until Monday, Dec. 27, as the station\u2019s five astronauts and two cosmonauts spend the holidays orbiting above Earth.<\/p>\n Get The Details…<\/a><\/p>\n Mark Garcia <\/p>\n Powered by WPeMatico<\/a><\/small><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The SpaceX Cargo Dragon arrived just in time to deliver holiday treats, crew supplies and new science experiments to the Expedition 66 crew today. NASA Flight Engineers Raja Chari and Thomas Marshburn were on duty Wednesday morning monitoring Dragon\u2019s automated approach and docking to the Harmony module\u2019s space-facing port that occurred at 3:41 a.m. EST. \u2026 Continue reading