Monthly Archives: February 2017

SpaceX's Dragon cargo ship is captured by astronauts aboard the International Space Station early Thursday, one day after its initial docking attempt was aborted. AP hide caption

SpaceX's Dragon cargo ship is captured by astronauts aboard the International Space Station early Thursday, one day after its initial docking attempt was aborted.

With a nudge of its robotic arm, astronauts aboard the International Space Station captured a space capsule carrying 5,500 pounds of cargo early Thursday.

"Capture confirmed," NASA TV's announcer stated at 5:44 a.m. ET. The capture took place as the space station and the capsule flew in orbit 250 miles off of Australia's northwest coast.

The safe rendezvous should help soothe the nerves of NASA and SpaceX teams that have seen this mission encounter delays at crucial moments. In NASA's timetable that was released last week, the agency had planned for the Dragon craft to reach the space station three days ago.

On Saturday, the craft's launch was aborted just seconds ahead of rocket ignition, due to an anomaly in its steering system.

The delayed launch one day later went perfectly, but when the Dragon craft was less than a mile from its space station dock early Wednesday, its computer automatically aborted the maneuver due to an error in its GPS software. That set up today's meeting, which comes just one day before a Russian resupply rocket is slated to arrive early Friday.

It will take the ISS crew about a month to unload the spacecraft, NASA says. In late March, it will splash down in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of Baja California.

NASA describes some of the experiments Dragon is carrying along with crew supplies:

"Science investigations launching on Dragon include commercial and academic research investigations that will enable researchers to advance their knowledge of the medical, psychological and biomedical challenges astronauts face during long-duration spaceflight.

"One experiment will use the microgravity environment to grow stem cells that are of sufficient quality and quantity to use in the treatment of patients who have suffered a stroke. A Merck Research Labs investigation will test growth in microgravity of antibodies important for fighting a wide range of human diseases, including cancer."

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SpaceX Cargo Craft Is Now In Space Station's Grip, One Day After Aborted Docking - NPR

SpaceX made good on a 250-mile-high delivery at the International Space Station on Thursday, after fixing a navigation problem that held up the shipment a day.

Everything went smoothly the second time around as the station astronauts captured the SpaceX Dragon cargo ship as the two craft sailed over Australia. On Wednesday, a GPS system error prevented the capsule from getting close enough to be grabbed by the station's big robot arm.

The Dragon loaded with 5,500 pounds of supplies rocketed away Sunday from NASA's historic moon pad at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Now leased by the SpaceX, the pad had been idle since the close of the shuttle program almost six years ago.

The station's six-person crew will accept another shipment Friday, this one from the Russians.

Given the Dragon's delayed arrival liftoff also occurred a day late the astronauts were under orders to open the capsule as soon as possible to retrieve sensitive science experiments.

"Sorry about the delays," Mission Control radioed. "Now the real work starts."

"Congratulations Dragon on a successful journey from Earth and now welcome on board," said French astronaut Thomas Pesquet, who operated the robot arm.

At the top of the crew's unloading list: 20 mice that are part of a wound-healing experiment. Before the flight, researchers made small surgical wounds in some of the animals' thigh bones then treated the area. Scientists want to see how quickly the wounds heal in weightlessness. Another 20 mice are taking part in the study on the ground, as control subjects.

Other newly arrived research: highly infectious MRSA bacteria, triple-contained so it doesn't get loose up there; stem cells; and instruments for studying lightning and the Earth's ozone layer.

The Dragon will remain at the space station for a month before it is cut loose to bring back science samples and other items. It's the only supply ship capable of returning intact to Earth; all the others burn up during re-entry. SpaceX is one of two private companies flying up supplies for NASA.

Besides France's Pesquet, the space station is home to two Americans and three Russians.

Online:

SpaceX: http://www.spacex.com/

NASA: https://www.nasa.gov/missionpages/station/main/index.html

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SpaceX makes good on space station delivery a little late - ABC News

A navigation error forced SpaceX to delay its shipment to the International Space Station on Wednesday, following an otherwise flawless flight from NASAs historic moon pad.

SpaceX's supply ship, the Dragon, was less than a mile from the orbiting outpost when a problem cropped up in the GPS system. The approach was aborted, and the Dragon backed away. NASA said neither the station nor its six-person crew was in any danger.

"As a pilot it is sometimes better to accelerate and circle around than attempt a difficult landing," French astronaut Thomas Pesquet said in a tweet from the space station. "Same in space - we'll be ready tomorrow!"

Just a few hours earlier, Russia successfully launched a cargo ship from Kazakhstan, its first since a failed launch in December.

SpaceX launched the Dragon capsule Sunday from Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 39A, out of action since NASAs space shuttle program ended in 2011. It's the same spot where astronauts flew to the moon in the late 1960s and early 1970s. SpaceX has a 20-year lease with NASA for 39A; besides launching station cargo from there, the company hopes to send up astronauts as early as next year.

Everything was going well with this latest SpaceX flight until the GPS issue. The Dragon's computers halted the rendezvous from just seven-tenths of a mile away. SpaceX said the problem is well understood and can be fixed before another delivery attempt Thursday. The Russian supplies should arrive Friday.

This was the first time that SpaceX had to abort a shipment at the last minute like this. The company, led by tech billionaire Elon Musk, has been making station deliveries since 2012.

The 250-mile-high station is home to two Americans, three Russians and France's Pesquet.

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SpaceX aborts approach to space station, delivery delayed - Fox News

Some students from the Buffalo Public and Niagara Falls City School Districts havereturned from a trip to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. WBFO's Senior Reporter Eileen Buckley says the students won contests for their STEM projects.

WBFO's senior reporter Eileen Buckley says some students returned from a trip to the Kennedy Space Center as part of their STEM work.

Its just been a really great experience, said Elise Glahe, a sixth-grader at the Abate Elementary School in the Niagara Falls City School District.

Glahe designed a winning Mission Patch as part of the Student Spaceflights Experiments Program last year.

Glahe's mission patch was lifted into orbit this weekend onboard the International Space Station.

You made something that, just by chance, has flown into outer space and thats just such a crazy thing to think about, Glahe declared.

Glahe and three other Buffalo Public school Students were welcomed back home by Western New York Congressman Brian Higgins Monday at the Buffaloand Erie County Public Library following their weekend trip.

Three Buffalo students, known as the Spud Launchers, said their winning project, to try to grow potatoes in space is now in orbit.

Hamlin Park eighth-grader Gabriella Melendez noted how exciting it was to know that our hard work is actually going into outer space.

Melendez was the lead investigator of the project.

It should be up there for I think six to eight weeks and then we get our results back, then thats when you know everything is going to come together and we all find out the results that weve been waiting for," Melendez said.

The space launch was initially scrubbed over the weekend, but later, while they were driving through Florida, the rocket was launched and they caught it on the radio.

Its exactly 9:38 and that was our launch time and he pulled over, he turned up the radio and it goes 5, 4 and you just hear it and its like ready to take off and it just went and you heard the wind and you heard everybodys excitement, responded Melendez.

Buffalo school students Shaniylah Welch and Toriana Cornwell were co-investigators of the experiment.

It was pretty cool. We watched a video on all the astronauts and the fallen ones also, said Cornwell.

Im looking forward to being an [astronomer]. Im not too much of being in space Im more like research in space you know, learn about the cosmos and Milky Way and all the galaxies, Welch explained.

The school districts have been teaming with WNY STEM HUB to promote STEM learning. Buffalo Schools Superintendent Kriner Cash called the young women an inspiration in promoting interest in STEM fields.

We also need boys and girls of color to continue to pursue STEM fields as well, remarked Cash.

Their teacher and advisor, Andrew Franz, was elated for his students.

It took every inch of my being to not cry, Franz said.

Link:
International Space Station lifts off with local student work on board - WBFO

SpaceX's Dragon cargo ship docked with the International Space Station on Thursday, a day after a GPS problem prevented the capsule from coming too close.

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SpaceX Dragon Docks With Space Station - Olean Times Herald

The spacecraft is carrying about 5,500 pounds of research materials and supplies.

Even Dragons are lost without GPS.

The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft had to delay its delivery to the International Space Center after a navigation glitch with its GPS system. The unmanned craft is carrying about 5,500 pounds of research materials and supplies to the International Space Center. This is the companys tenth cargo flight with NASA.

"The spacecraft is in excellent shape with no issues, and the crew aboard the space station is safe," NASA said in a blog post.

Dragon was only seven-tenths of a mile away from the space station when the GPS error was detected. The attempt to dock was aborted at 3:25 a.m. EST. The spacecraft will make another attempt to reach ISS Thursday morning.

NASA spokesman Rob Navias said on NASA TV that the navigation glitch "is an easily correctable issue." He added, "There's no threat to any of the science or cargo aboard."

On Sunday, SpaceX successfully launched its Dragon cargo ship from NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It was a big day for SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk because this was the first company-owned and -operated spacecraft ever to launch from Kennedy's pad.

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SpaceX Dragon Ship Aborts Space Station Docking After GPS Glitch - Yahoo News