WASHINGTON, Aug. 4, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- Following a successful launch of NASA's Northrop
Grumman 21st commercial resupply mission, new scientific
experiments and cargo for the agency are bound for the
International Space Station.
Northrop Grumman's Cygnus spacecraft, carrying more than 8,200
pounds of supplies to the orbiting laboratory, lifted off at
11:02 a.m. EDT Sunday on a SpaceX
Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral
Space Force Station in Florida.
Shortly after launch, the spacecraft missed its first burn due to a
late entry to burn sequencing. Known as the targeted altitude burn,
or TB1, it was rescheduled, but aborted shortly after the engine
ignited due to a slightly low initial pressure state. There is no
indication the engine itself has any problem at this time.
Cygnus is at a safe altitude and completed the deployment of its
two solar arrays at 2:21 p.m.
Northrop Grumman engineers are working a new burn and trajectory
plan and aim to achieve the spacecraft's original capture time on
station.
If all remains on track, live coverage of the spacecraft's
arrival will begin at 1:30 a.m.,
Tuesday, Aug. 6, on NASA+, NASA
Television, the NASA app, and the agency's website. Learn how to
stream NASA TV through a variety of platforms including social
media.
NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick
will capture Cygnus using the station's robotic arm at
approximately 3:10 a.m., and NASA
astronaut Jeanette Epps is
backup.
The resupply mission will support dozens of research
experiments conducted during Expedition 71. Included among the
investigations are:
- Test articles to evaluate liquid and gas flow through porous
media found in space station life support systems
- A balloon, penny, and hexnut for a new STEMonstration on
centripetal force
- Microorganisms known as Rotifers to examine the effects of
spaceflight on DNA repair mechanisms
- A bioreactor to demonstrate the production of many high-quality
blood and immune stem cells
These are just a sample of the hundreds of investigations
conducted aboard the orbiting laboratory in the areas of biology
and biotechnology, physical sciences, and Earth and space science.
Such research benefits humanity and lays the groundwork for future
human exploration through the agency's Artemis campaign, which will
send astronauts to the Moon to prepare for future expeditions to
Mars.
NASA's arrival and in-flight event coverage is as follows (all
times Eastern and subject to change based on real-time
operations):
Tuesday, Aug. 6
1:30 a.m. – Arrival
coverage begins on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app,
YouTube, and the agency's website.
3:10 a.m. – Capture of Cygnus with
the space station's robotic arm.
4:30 a.m. – Cygnus installation
coverage begins on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube,
and the agency's website.
All times are estimates and could be adjusted based on
operations after launch. Follow the space station blog for the
most up-to-date operations information.
The company's 21st mission to the space station for NASA is the
10th under its Commercial Resupply Services 2 contract.
Cygnus will remain at the orbiting laboratory until January
before it departs and disposes of several thousand pounds of trash
through its re-entry into Earth's atmosphere where it will
harmlessly burn up. The spacecraft is named the S.S. Francis R.
"Dick" Scobee after the former NASA astronaut.
Learn more about NASA's commercial resupply mission at:
https://www.nasa.gov/mission/nasas-northrop-grumman-crs-21/
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SOURCE NASA