Month: April 2015

The SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft was berthed to the Harmony module of the International Space Station at 9:29 a.m. EDT while the two spacecraft were traveling above the coast of Sierra Leone. The hatch between the newly arrived spacecraft and the Harmony module of the space station is scheduled to be opened Saturday.

The spacecraft is loaded with more than 4,300 pounds of supplies, science experiments, and technology demonstrations, including critical materials to support about 40 of more than 250 science and research investigations during the station’s Expeditions 43 and 44. The capsule is scheduled to spend five weeks attached to the station.

For an overview of newly delivered science investigations aboard Dragon, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/news/spacex_six/

While the International Space Station was traveling 257 statute miles over the Pacific Ocean just east of Japan, Expedition 43 Flight Engineer Samantha Cristoforetti of the European Space Agency, with the assistance of Expedition 43 Commander Terry Virts of NASA, successfully captured the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft with the station’s robotic arm at 6:55 a.m. EDT.

Operations to berth Dragon to the space station begin at approximately 9:40 a.m. NASA TV coverage will resume at 9:15 a.m. at https://www.nasa.gov/nasatv

NASA television coverage for today’s scheduled arrival of the Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station has begun and can be seen at https://www.nasa.gov/nasatv.

SpaceX reported all spacecraft systems are ready for the final stages of rendezvous, and space station flight controllers reported the orbiting outpost is ready for the commercial spacecraft’s arrival. The International Space Station and Dragon flight control teams are proceeding toward rendezvous and grapple at 7 a.m. EDT.

The spacecraft is delivering more than 4,300 pounds of supplies, science experiments, and technology demonstrations for the Expeditions 43 crew members. To learn more about the mission and the International Space Station, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/station.

Join the conversation on social media by following @Space_Station and the hashtag #ISScargo.

The SpaceX Dragon commercial cargo craft is less than a day away from arriving at the International Space Station. The Expedition 43 crew is getting ready for its arrival and five-week stay at the Earth-facing port of the Harmony module. Read more about the SpaceX CRS-6 mission.

Commander Terry Virts set up hardware inside Harmony to assist Dragon’s installation after its capture tomorrow. Virts and Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti also brushed up on robotics skills necessary to capture Dragon with the Canadarm2.

NASA TV will begin rendezvous coverage Friday at 5 a.m. EDT. Dragon is scheduled to be grappled about 7 a.m. by Cristoforetti inside the cupola at the controls of Canadarm2 with Virts assisting.

Though it was a light day, the rest of the crew worked on human research and advanced microgravity experiments. Dragon is also delivering new science gear to support hundreds of experiments aboard the orbital laboratory. Read more about research on the space station.

The Falcon 9 lifted off at 4:10 p.m. EDT and is climbing toward its preliminary orbit en route to the International Space Station. At the time of launch, the International Space Station was traveling at an altitude of 257 miles over the Great Australian Bight, south of Western Australia.

The spacecraft’s two tons of supplies, science experiments, and technology demonstrations includes critical materials to support about 40 of more than 250 science and research investigations during the station’s Expeditions 43 and 44.

Launch coverage continues on NASA TV at https://www.nasa.gov/nasatv

Join the online conversation on Twitter by following @Space_Station and the hashtag #ISScargo.

SpaceX will attempt another launch today at 4:10 p.m. EDT after a weather violation within 10 nautical miles of the launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida, forced mission controllers to scrub Monday’s launch of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Dragon space freighter to the International Space Station. Live coverage on NASA TV begins at 3 p.m.

The six Expedition 43 crew members aboard the orbital laboratory worked on a wide variety of microgravity science Tuesday. The crew also worked science maintenance ensuring the upkeep of the advanced gear and technology that supports hundreds of experiments in space.

The crew with assistance from payload controllers on the ground explored subjects including how life in space can affect an organism’s physiology, how a crew member adapts to the closed environment of a spacecraft and the changes in cardiac function during a long-term mission.

Because of weather conditions that violated the rules for launching, SpaceX has postponed its planned launch of its Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Dragon spacecraft. It is SpaceX’s sixth commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station.

The next launch opportunity is Tuesday, April 14, at 4:10:40 p.m. EDT. NASA Television coverage will begin at 3 p.m. at: https://www.nasa.gov/nasatv.

The spacecraft is loaded with more than 4,300 pounds of supplies, science experiments, and technology demonstrations, including critical materials to support about 40 of more than 250 science and research investigations during the station’s Expeditions 43 and 44. For a mission overview, press kit, launch countdown coverage, NASA’s launch blog, and more information about the mission, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/spacex

To join the online conversation about the SpaceX CRS-6 launch, the International Space Station and Expedition 43 on Twitter, follow @Space_Station and the hashtag #ISScargo.