NASA Space Station Cargo Launches from Virginia on Orbital ATK Resupply Mission

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Oct. 17, 2016

RELEASE 16-100

NASA Space Station Cargo Launches from Virginia on Orbital ATK Resupply Mission

The crew of the International Space Station soon will be equipped to perform
dozens of new scientific investigations with cargo launched Monday aboard
NASA's latest commercial resupply services mission from the agency's
Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.

Orbital ATK's Cygnus spacecraft lifted off at 7:45 p.m. EDT from the Mid-Atlantic
Regional Spaceport's Pad 0A on the company's upgraded Antares
230 rocket carrying more than 5,100 pounds of cargo. Cygnus is scheduled
to arrive at the space station Sunday, Oct. 23. Expedition 49 astronauts
Takuya Onishi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and Kate Rubins
of NASA will use the space station's robotic arm to grapple Cygnus,
about 6 a.m.

This is the first flight on the upgraded Antares 230 launch vehicle, and
the first launch from Wallops since an Antares rocket and its Cygnus spacecraft
were lost in October 2014. It's also the third flight of an enhanced
Cygnus spacecraft featuring a greater payload capacity, supported by new
fuel tanks and UltraFlex solar arrays.

"It's great to see launches to the International Space Station
happening again from the Virginia coast \u2013 and it shows what can be
accomplish with a close partnership of federal and state agencies, along
with the U.S. industry, all working together,\u201d said NASA Administrator
Charles Bolden.

The cargo aboard the Cygnus will support dozens of new and existing investigations
as the space station crews of Expeditions 49 and 50 contribute to about
250 science and research studies. The new experiments include studies
on fire in space, the effect of lighting on sleep and daily rhythms, collection
of health-related data, and a new way to measure neutrons.

Low-temperature fires with no visible flames are known as cool flames.
In previous combustion experiments aboard the space station, researchers
observed cool flame burning behaviors not predicted by models or earlier
investigations. The Cool Flames Investigation examines low-temperature
combustion of droplets of a variety of fuels and additives in low gravity.
Data from this investigation could help scientists develop more efficient
advanced engines and new fuels for use in space and on Earth.

The Lighting Effects investigation tests a new lighting system aboard
the station designed to enhance crew health and keep their body clocks
in proper sync with a more regular working and resting schedule. The system
uses adjustable light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and a dynamic lighting schedule
that varies the intensity and spectrum of the LEDs in tune with sleep
and wake schedules. Research has shown that enhancing certain types of
light can improve alertness and performance while other types can promote
better sleep.

A user-friendly tablet app provides astronauts with a new and faster way
to collect a wide variety of personal data. The EveryWear investigation
tests use of a French-designed technology to record and transmit data
on nutrition, sleep, exercise and medications. EveryWear has potential
for use in science experiments, biomedical support and technology demonstrations.

Astronauts aboard the space station are exposed to space radiation that
can reduce immune response, increase cancer risk, and interfere with electronics.
The Fast Neutron Spectrometer investigation will help scientists understand
high-energy neutrons, part of the radiation exposure experienced by crews
during spaceflight, by studying a new technique to measure electrically
neutral neutron particles.

The Cygnus spacecraft will remain at the space station until November
before its destructive reentry into Earth's atmosphere, disposing
of about 3,000 pounds of trash.

The space station is a convergence of science, technology and human innovation
that demonstrates new technologies and makes research breakthroughs not
possible on Earth. The station has been continuously occupied since November
2000. In that time, more than 200 people and a variety of international
and commercial spacecraft have visited the station. The orbiting lab remains
the springboard to NASA's next great leap in exploration, including future
missions to an asteroid and Mars.

Keep up with the International Space Station, and its research and crews,
at:

http://www.nasa.gov/station

Get breaking news, images and features from the station on Instagram and
Twitter:

http://instagram.com/iss

and

http://www.twitter.com/Space_Station

Learn more about Orbital ATK's mission at:

http://www.nasa.gov/orbitalatk

-end-

Kathryn Hambleton
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
kathryn....@nasa.gov

Dan Huot
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
daniel...@nasa.gov