Several connections, called launch umbilicals, will connect from the mobile launcher tower and provide power, communications, coolant and fuel to NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft for their first integrated mission. Among them are two umbilicals, called tail service mast umbilicals (TSMUs). They are being cleaned and assembled at Precision Fabrication Cleaning …
Cygnus Spacecraft Fire Experiment-I (Saffire-I) Operations: Yesterday, Saffire-1 successfully completed the first of two phases when a flame experiment was performed inside the Cygnus vehicle after departing the ISS. Today began the second phase which consists of retrieving experiment data via downlink passes at various ground sites. Because fire is extremely dangerous on a spacecraft, …
A pair of Expedition 47 crew members tested the motion control system of the docked Soyuz TMA-19M spacecraft. Soyuz Commander Yuri Malenchenko and astronauts Tim Kopra and Tim Peake will ride the Soyuz back to Earth early Saturday morning. They will undock from the Rassvet module then land in Kazakhstan ending a 186-day mission in …
Cygnus Departure: Cygnus unberthed nominally from the ISS at 6:45AM CDT with release at 8:35AM CDT. Post departure science objectives including Saffire, NanoRacks CubeSat deployments, and ReEntry Breakup Recorder – Wireless (REBR-W) are scheduled to occur prior to re-entry on June 22. Saffire-I intentionally lights a large-scale fire inside the empty Cygnus resupply vehicle after …
Expedition 47 robotic arm operator Tim Kopra of NASA commanded the International Space Station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm to release the Cygnus spacecraft at 9:30 a.m. EDT while the space station was flying above Paraguay. Earlier, ground controllers detached Cygnus from the station and maneuvered it into place for its departure. After Cygnus is a safe …
Live coverage began at 9 a.m. EDT on NASA Television of the departure of Orbital ATK’s Cygnus cargo spacecraft from the International Space Station. Release from the station’s Unity module is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. The Cygnus spacecraft arrived at the International Space Station March 26, delivering almost 7,500 pounds of cargo and science investigations. …
NASA Television will provide live coverage of the departure of Orbital ATK’s Cygnus cargo spacecraft from the International Space Station beginning at 9 a.m. EDT on Tuesday, June 14. Release from the space station’s Canadarm2 is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. About five hours after departure, the Saffire-I experiment will take place onboard the uncrewed cargo craft. Saffire-I …
Cell Biology Experiment Facility (CBEF) Fastener Coating and Configuration Change: The CBEF Micro-G configuration was changed to support the Mouse Epigenetics experiment and the fasteners inside the CBEF were coated with material to prevent corrosion. The CBEF is a Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) subrack facility located in the Saibo (living cell) Experiment Rack. It …
The Cygnus resupply ship from Orbital ATK has been packed and its hatches closed before Tuesday morning’s release. Astronauts Tim Kopra and Tim Peake will be at the controls of the Canadarm2 when it releases Cygnus at 9:30 a.m. EDT. Live television coverage on NASA TV starts at 9 a.m. A few hours after its …
Skin-B Operations: Earlier this morning the crew performed Corneometer, Tewameter and Visioscan measurements on his forearm. The Corneometer measures the hydration level of the stratus coreum (outer layer of the skin); the Tewameter measures the skin barrier function, and the Visioscan measures the skin surface topography. Skin B is a European Space Agency (ESA) investigation …
