Northrop Grumman – Page 11 – Commercial Resupply Mission to the International Space Station

The Alan G. “Dex” Poindexter Mission

astronaut in orange suit with helmet — Alan Poindexter
Credit: NASA

Orbital ATK is proud to name the OA-5 Cygnus Cargo Delivery Spacecraft after former astronaut and Naval Aviator Captain Alan Poindexter. Poindexter is the only other fallen astronaut, after Rick Husband, to have been directly involved with the construction of the International Space Station.

Poindexter was born in Pasadena, California, but considered Rockville, Maryland, his hometown. Poindexter graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology with a bachelor of Aerospace Engineering in 1986. He received a master of science in Aeronautical Engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School in 1995.

Before joining NASA, Poindexter served in the United States Navy as an aviator and test
pilot for 12 years, including assignments at the Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, and Oceana, Virginia. During his Desert Storm deployment, he flew combat missions with current Orbital ATK Vice President Kent Rominger. Throughout his Navy career, he logged 4,000 hours in more than 30 types of aircraft and completed more than 450 carrier landings. Poindexter was selected for NASA’s astronaut program in June 1998 and flew on two shuttle missions. He was pilot on STS-122, which delivered flight engineer and now Orbital ATK Senior Director Daniel Tani back to earth from the ISS, and he served as commander on STS-131. During his career at NASA, Poindexter logged more than 669 hours in space. He retired from NASA in December 2010.

Poindexter passed away July 1, 2012, and is survived by his wife, Lisa, and their two sons, Zach and Samuel.

What’s On Board?

On the OA-5 mission, Cygnus will carry supplies and equipment to the International Space Station, as well as science payloads. The total mass of the cargo is approximately 2,425 kg (5,346 lb.), which includes 56 cargo bags of multiple sizes.

Payloads:

Spacecraft Fire Experiment-II (Saffire-II)
Fast Neuron Spectrometer
ACM and Experiment Tray
SLMMD

Cargo:

ISS Experiment Hardware
EVA Equipment– EMU Repair Kit– EVA Supplies
Emergency Equipment
Photo/TV and Computer Resources– Computer – iPad Air 2
– Laptop – T61P and Connectors – Camera – Nikon D4
ISS Hardware and Spare ORUs – Cupola Scratch Panes
– Water ORU
Food, Crew Supplies and Crew Provisions
Flight Crew Equipment
Cargo Environment SensorsAdditional payload details can be found at www.nasa.gov/iss-science.

The Saffire-II experiment will start a controlled fire on the Cygnus capsule after it departs the station to observe and measure how the fire behaves in micro-gravity.

“One of the least understood risks in space is how a fire starts, how it propagates, how you will detect the fire and how you put it out,” said Jintendra Joshi, Saffire technology integration lead for the Advanced Exploration Systems Division at NASA Headquarters.

The first Saffire experiment showed slower than expected spread of fire in a convective air flow environment in the experiment capsule, Joshi said. Further exploration “will help us make space travel safer,” he said.

Future experiments will try burning in different conditions, then investigate strategies for putting fires out.

The Cool Flames experiment will investigate why some combustible materials seem to burn at a lower-than-expected temperature in micro-gravity. “In certain cases with certain fuels something unexpected happens that can’t be replicated on the ground,” said Jesse Robins of NASA’s Glenn Research Center.

What you see, he said, is after an initial hot burn the visible flame extinquishes but the fuel droplet size diminishes at a faster rate than evaporation would suggest. Sometimes the fuel can re-ignite, he said, “like a trick birthday candle.”

Throwback Timelapse: Putting It All Together

Antares is on the launchpad now, but you don’t often get to see all the pieces coming together. Patrick Black set up this time-lapse shot inside the Horizontal Integration Facility next to the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport several days ago.

You can see the rocket being prepped, the fairing put into a standby location and the coverings come off the Cygnus cargo capsule before it is integrated onto the rocket body. If you look closely you’ll also notice the “duck’s legs” paddling furiously as the people making it happen zip around seemingly at super speed.

L-1: Making Space Flight Look Peaceful

After a successful rollout of the Antares rocket Friday and installation on the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport Pad-0A, preparations continue for a Sunday night launch.

NASA photographer Bill Ingalls caught this amazing image of Antares and the setting moon

rocket on the pad with orange moon behind — The Orbital ATK Antares rocket, with the Cygnus spacecraft onboard, is seen on launch Pad-0A as the moon sets, predawn, Saturday, Oct. 15, 2016 at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.
Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Orbital ATK’s sixth contracted cargo resupply mission with NASA to the International Space Station will deliver more than 5,100 pounds of science and research, crew supplies and vehicle hardware to the orbital laboratory and its crew.

Update on Bermuda Tracking Station

The NASA Wallops Flight Facility and Virginia’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport are set to support the launch of Orbital ATK’s Antares rocket at 8:03 p.m. EDT, Oct. 16.

The NASA tracking station in Bermuda received minor damage from Hurricane Nicole when it passed over the island Oct. 13, 2016. Repairs to the station have been made and the team is currently readying to support the launch.

upright rocket on pad. — The Orbital ATK Antares rocket, with the Cygnus spacecraft aboard. **Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls**

The Bermuda site provides tracking, telemetry and flight terminations support for Antares launches from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility on Virginia’s Eastern Shore. Final testing is scheduled to be conducted the morning of Oct. 15 prior to the launch readiness review later that day.

Orbital ATK’s Antares rocket will launch the company’s Cygnus cargo spacecraft, loaded with some 5,100 pounds of science and research, crew supplies and vehicle hardware bound for the International Space Station. Antares will launch from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport pad 0A at Wallops.

As of 3:30 p.m. EDT on Oct. 14, the latest forecast from the Wallops Weather Office has conditions for the Sunday evening launch at 95 percent “go.”

The launch may be visible, weather permitting, to residents throughout the east coast of the United States. Local public viewing of the launch will be available at the NASA Visitor Center at Wallops and Robert Reed Park on Chincoteague Island or Beach Road spanning the area between Chincoteague and Assateague Islands. Assateague Island National Seashore/Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge in Virginia will not be open for viewing the launch.

Antares Rocket Raised on the Pad

The Orbital ATK Antares rocket, with the Cygnus spacecraft onboard, was raised into the vertical position on launch Pad-0A, Friday, Oct. 14, 2016 at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.

rocket at 45 degree tilt near towers. — The Orbital ATK Antares rocket, with the Cygnus spacecraft onboard, is raised to the vertical position
Photo Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

Orbital ATK’s sixth contracted cargo resupply mission with NASA to the International Space Station will deliver over 5,100 pounds of science and research, crew supplies and vehicle hardware to the orbital laboratory and its crew.

The International Space Station-bound Antares is currently scheduled for launch no earlier than Sunday, Oct. 16, at 8:03 p.m. EDT. The Cygnus cargo capsule is packed with supplies and science for the space station.

These images, along with others, are also available on Flickr: https://flic.kr/s/aHskLshgNU

Antares Roll-Out Photo Gallery

Orbital ATK’s Antares rocket rolled out of the Horizontal Integration Facility at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia on the afternoon of Oct. 13, 2016. Antares, with its Cygnus cargo spacecraft aboard, arrived at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport’s pad 0A a few hours later. The distance between the HIF and the launch pad is roughly a half-mile.

Antares rocket roll-out from Wallops HIF to MARS launch pad on Oct. 13, 2016 — Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

More roll-out photos are available on NASA’s Flickr page. The International Space Station-bound Antares is currently scheduled for launch no earlier than Sunday, Oct. 16, at 8:03 p.m. EDT.

Antares Rolling out to Launch Pad; 72-Hour Weather Forecast Announced

Antares rocket rolls out of the NASA Wallops HIF on Oct. 13, 2016. Credit: NASA — Antares rocket rolls out of the NASA Wallops HIF on Oct. 13, 2016. **Credit: NASA**

This graphic depicts the maximum elevation the Antares rocket will appear above the horizon for skywatchers in the Mid-Atlantic. For example, a viewer in Pittsburg would not expect to see the rocket appear higher in the sky than five degrees above the horizon (about the width of three fingers held at arm's length). A viewer in . Credit: Orbital ATK — This graphic depicts the maximum elevation the Antares rocket will appear above the horizon for skywatchers in the Mid-Atlantic. For example, a viewer in Pittsburg would not expect to see the rocket appear higher in the sky than five degrees above the horizon (about the width of three fingers held at arm’s length). **Credit: Orbital ATK**

Orbital ATK’s Antares rocket began rolling out of the Horizontal Integration Facility at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia on the afternoon of Oct. 13, 2016. Launch of the Antares, with its Cygnus cargo spacecraft bound for the International Space Station, is currently scheduled for no earlier than Sunday, Oct. 16. Antares will launch from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport’s pad 0A at NASA Wallops, on Virginia’s Eastern Shore near Chincoteague.

The launch window on Oct. 16 opens at 8:03 p.m. EDT. The latest forecast from the Wallops Weather Office predicts warmer than average weather for Sunday evening. Mid- and upper-level cloudiness will increase over the Wallops region Sunday evening, as a weak cold front approaches the northern Mid-Atlantic. The main weather concern for the launch appears to be a low chance of thick clouds, and weather is currently 95 percent go.

Meanwhile, Hurricane Nicole is still affecting Bermuda, where NASA maintains a tracking station integral to launches from Wallops.

Cygnus will carry about 5,100 pounds of cargo, including crew supplies and vehicle hardware, to the space station, to support dozens of science and research investigations.

Antares Launch Viewing Map

Orbital ATK has produced a visibility map for the company’s next commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station, scheduled for no earlier than Sunday, Oct. 16, at 8:03 p.m. EDT.

Ability to see the launch may be possible throughout the Mid-Atlantic, depending on location, elevation and local weather conditions.

Orbital ATK’s Cygnus spacecraft will launch aboard the company’s Antares rocket from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport launch pad at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility on the Eastern Shore of Virginia.

Atlantic Storm System Delays NASA Resupply Launch to Space Station

NASA and its partner Orbital ATK have postponed the launch of the company’s next commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station to no earlier than Sunday, Oct. 16, as the agency prepares for Tropical Storm Nicole at its tracking site in Bermuda.

A Sunday launch would occur at 8:03 p.m. EDT from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, with a five-minute window.

Orbital ATK's Cygnus spacecraft arrived on Oct. 2, 2016 at the Horizontal Integration Facility at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia for mating with the Antares rocket. Cygnus is scheduled to launch on the Antares rocket at 8:03 p.m. EDT, Oct. 16, 2016, carrying about 5,100 pounds of cargo to the International Space Station. Credit: NASA — Orbital ATK’s Cygnus spacecraft arrived on Oct. 2, 2016 at the Horizontal Integration Facility at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia for mating with the Antares rocket. Cygnus is scheduled to launch on the Antares rocket at 8:03 p.m. EDT, Oct. 16, 2016, carrying about 5,100 pounds of cargo to the International Space Station. **Credit: NASA**

As the spacecraft’s trajectory takes it from Wallops and past Bermuda on its flight into orbit, the Bermuda tracking station provides downrange tracking, telemetry and flight termination support. Tropical Storm Nicole is expected to reach Bermuda as a hurricane Thursday, Oct. 13.

Forecast from the National Hurricane Center of Hurricane Nicole's path, as of the afternoon of Oct. 11. Credit: NHC/NOAA — Forecast from the National Hurricane Center of Hurricane Nicole’s path, as of the afternoon of Oct. 11. Credit: NHC/NOAA

“The tracking station at Bermuda is required to conduct the Antares launch from Wallops,” said Steven Kremer, chief of the Wallops Range and Mission Management Office. “The ability to support a launch will depend on the impact the storm has on not only our systems, but also the overall Bermuda infrastructure.”

After the storm system has passed Bermuda, the Wallops team will conduct a damage assessment, perform mission readiness testing, and bring the site back up to operational status.

NASA’s full statement
Orbital ATK’s statement