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NASA Cargo Launches to Space Station aboard SpaceX Resupply Mission
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Apr 20, 2014, 12:32:24 PM4/20/14
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April 18, 2014
NASA Cargo Launches to Space Station aboard SpaceX Resupply Mission
Nearly 2.5 tons of NASA science investigations and cargo are on the way to
the International Space Station (ISS) aboard SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft. The
spacecraft launched atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 3:25 p.m. EDT Friday, April
18.
The mission is the company's third cargo delivery flight to the station
through a $1.6 billion NASA Commercial Resupply Services contract. Dragon's
cargo will support more than 150 experiments to be conducted by the crews of
ISS Expeditions 39 and 40.
"SpaceX is delivering important research experiments and cargo to the space
station," said William Gerstenmaier, NASA associate administrator for human
exploration and operations. "The diversity and number of new experiments is
phenomenal. The investigations aboard Dragon will help us improve our
understanding of how humans adapt to living in space for long periods of time
and help us develop technologies that will enable deep space exploration."
The scientific payloads on Dragon include investigations into efficient plant
growth in space, human immune system function in microgravity, Earth
observation, and a demonstration of laser optics communication. Also being
delivered is a set of high-tech legs for Robonaut 2, which will provide the
humanoid robot torso already aboard the orbiting laboratory the mobility it
needs to help with regular and repetitive tasks inside the space station.
Dragon also will deliver a second set of investigations sponsored by the
Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS), which manages the
portion of the space station that is designated a U.S. National Laboratory.
The investigations include research into plant biology and protein crystal
growth, a field of study experts believe may lead to beneficial advancements
in drug development through protein mapping.
On its way to the ISS, SpaceX's Falcon rocket jettisoned five small research
satellites known as CubeSats that will perform a variety of technology
demonstrations. The small satellites are part of NASA's Educational Launch of
Nanosatellite, or ElaNa, mission, and involved more than 120 students in
their design, development and construction. One of the satellites, PhoneSat
2.5, is the third in a series of CubeSat missions designed to use
commercially available smartphone technology as part of a low-cost
development effort to provide basic spacecraft capabilities. Another of the
small satellites, SporeSat, is designed to help scientists study the
mechanisms by which plant cells sense gravity -- valuable research in the
larger effort to grow plants in space.
Dragon will be grappled at 7:14 a.m. on Sunday, April 20, by Expedition 39
Commander Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, using the
space station's robotic arm to take hold of the spacecraft. NASA's Rick
Mastracchio will support Wakata in a backup position. Dragon is scheduled to
depart the space station May 18 for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, west
of Baja California, bringing from the space station nearly 3,500 pounds of
science, hardware, crew supplies and spacewalk tools.
The ISS is a convergence of science, technology and human innovation that
demonstrates new technologies and makes research breakthroughs not possible
on Earth. The space station has been continuously occupied since November
2000. In that time, it has been visited by more than 200 people and a variety
of international and commercial spacecraft. The space station remains the
springboard to NASA's next great leap in exploration, including future
missions to an asteroid and Mars.
For more information about SpaceX's third cargo resupply mission and the
International Space Station, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/station
-end-
Rachel Kraft
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
rachel....@nasa.gov
Dan Huot
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
daniel...@nasa.gov
NASA Cargo Launches to Space Station aboard SpaceX Resupply Mission
Nearly 2.5 tons of NASA science investigations and cargo are on the way to
the International Space Station (ISS) aboard SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft. The
spacecraft launched atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 3:25 p.m. EDT Friday, April
18.
The mission is the company's third cargo delivery flight to the station
through a $1.6 billion NASA Commercial Resupply Services contract. Dragon's
cargo will support more than 150 experiments to be conducted by the crews of
ISS Expeditions 39 and 40.
"SpaceX is delivering important research experiments and cargo to the space
station," said William Gerstenmaier, NASA associate administrator for human
exploration and operations. "The diversity and number of new experiments is
phenomenal. The investigations aboard Dragon will help us improve our
understanding of how humans adapt to living in space for long periods of time
and help us develop technologies that will enable deep space exploration."
The scientific payloads on Dragon include investigations into efficient plant
growth in space, human immune system function in microgravity, Earth
observation, and a demonstration of laser optics communication. Also being
delivered is a set of high-tech legs for Robonaut 2, which will provide the
humanoid robot torso already aboard the orbiting laboratory the mobility it
needs to help with regular and repetitive tasks inside the space station.
Dragon also will deliver a second set of investigations sponsored by the
Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS), which manages the
portion of the space station that is designated a U.S. National Laboratory.
The investigations include research into plant biology and protein crystal
growth, a field of study experts believe may lead to beneficial advancements
in drug development through protein mapping.
On its way to the ISS, SpaceX's Falcon rocket jettisoned five small research
satellites known as CubeSats that will perform a variety of technology
demonstrations. The small satellites are part of NASA's Educational Launch of
Nanosatellite, or ElaNa, mission, and involved more than 120 students in
their design, development and construction. One of the satellites, PhoneSat
2.5, is the third in a series of CubeSat missions designed to use
commercially available smartphone technology as part of a low-cost
development effort to provide basic spacecraft capabilities. Another of the
small satellites, SporeSat, is designed to help scientists study the
mechanisms by which plant cells sense gravity -- valuable research in the
larger effort to grow plants in space.
Dragon will be grappled at 7:14 a.m. on Sunday, April 20, by Expedition 39
Commander Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, using the
space station's robotic arm to take hold of the spacecraft. NASA's Rick
Mastracchio will support Wakata in a backup position. Dragon is scheduled to
depart the space station May 18 for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, west
of Baja California, bringing from the space station nearly 3,500 pounds of
science, hardware, crew supplies and spacewalk tools.
The ISS is a convergence of science, technology and human innovation that
demonstrates new technologies and makes research breakthroughs not possible
on Earth. The space station has been continuously occupied since November
2000. In that time, it has been visited by more than 200 people and a variety
of international and commercial spacecraft. The space station remains the
springboard to NASA's next great leap in exploration, including future
missions to an asteroid and Mars.
For more information about SpaceX's third cargo resupply mission and the
International Space Station, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/station
-end-
Rachel Kraft
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
rachel....@nasa.gov
Dan Huot
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
daniel...@nasa.gov
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