A pair of docked space freighters is being loaded in preparation for next month’s departure activities. The ISS Progress 57 (57P) resupply ship is being packed with trash and discarded gear for a fiery disposal over the Pacific Ocean. The SpaceX Dragon commercial cargo craft is being loaded with experiment samples, spacesuit gear and other hardware to be returned to Earth when the ship splashes down off the Pacific coast of Baja California.
› Read more about the SpaceX CRS-5 mission
The International Space Station is getting ready for another round of Cubesat deployments from outside Japan’s Kibo lab module. Meanwhile, inside the station the six-member Expedition 42 crew worked a wide array of microgravity science, spacewalk preparations and ongoing maintenance, keeping their orbital home safe and sound.
Astronauts Terry Virts and Samantha Cristoforetti worked in the Quest airlock readying tools for a trio of spacewalks set to begin in February. Those spacewalks will get the station wired and ready for two new spacecraft docking adapters to be installed later this year.
Aren’t all three “freighters” scheduled to depart the ISS in the next couple weeks? Progress 57, Dragon CRS-5 then ATV 5? Seems like there won’t be ANY docked to the station until Progress 58 arrives.
The Progress 57 is due to leave in late April from the Pirs docking compartment. The ATV-5 will undock from the Zvezda service module’s aft port Feb. 14 and the Progress 58 will replace it when it launches Feb. 17.