WALLOPS ISLAND, Va. — A Northrop Grumman-built Cygnus cargo ship lifted off from Virginia on Saturday (Feb. 20), carrying important provides for astronauts on the Worldwide House Station.
Perched atop a two-stage Antares rocket, the uncrewed Cygnus NG-15 spacecraft blasted off from Pad 0A on the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility right here at 12:36 p.m. EDT (1736 GMT).
The craft is hauling greater than 8,200 lbs. (3,719 kilograms) of cargo that embody scientific tools, contemporary meals and provides for the seven astronauts on board the area station. It is also full of new {hardware} and spacewalk tools.
The 139-foot-tall (42.5-meter) Antares rocket lifted off proper on time, at first of a deliberate 5-minute window. It is Cygnus NG-15 cargo ship is named after Katherine Johnson, the trailblazing NASA mathematician who helped make John Glenn’s historic orbital flight — the primary by an American astronaut — attainable. Now, 59 years later, the S.S. Katherine Johnson embarks on her personal flight to area on the 59th anniversary of Glenn’s Friendship 7 Mercury flight.
Video: Watch the Antares rocket launch of Cygnus NG-15!
Associated: Private Antares rocket & Cygnus explained (infographic)
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The NG-15 mission is Northrop Grumman’s 15th operational resupply launch to the area station since 2014 and marked the 4th Antares to fly within the 230+ configuration.
The rocket’s first stage is powered by two Russian-made RD-181 engines fueled by rocket-grade kerosene, producing 864,000 kilos of thrust at liftoff. The primary stage separated from the rocket’s higher stage simply over three minutes into flight.
Shortly after, the payload fairing jettisoned, leaving the Cygnus uncovered to area. Powered by a solid-fueled higher stage, the Cygnus was deposited in its preliminary orbit and able to start its journey to the area station. The cargo craft will spend two days chasing down the orbital outpost earlier than berthing to the station with the assistance of a robotic arm.
Astronaut Soichi Noguchi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Company will seize the vessel on Monday (Feb. 22) at about 4:40 a.m. EST (0940 GMT), with NASA astronaut Mike Hopkins serving as backup. The craft will stay on the station for roughly three months, after which it’ll detach itself and expend upon reentry into the Earth’s ambiance.
Hidden figures
Northrop Grumman makes each the Antares rocket and the Cygnus spacecraft. The corporate has a practice of naming its spacecraft after fallen heroes who’ve made a major contribution to human spaceflight.
On this case, the corporate is selecting to honor the late Katherine Johnson, who died at the age of 101 nearly a year ago on Feb. 24, 2020. Johnson labored as a human laptop whose trajectory calculations had been crucial to NASA’s early success with human spaceflight, specifically Glenn’s orbital flight.
“It’s our custom to call every Cygnus after a person who’s performed a pivotal position in human spaceflight, and Mrs. Johnson was chosen for her hand-written calculations that helped launch the primary Individuals into area, in addition to her accomplishments in breaking glass ceiling after glass ceiling as a Black lady,” mentioned Frank DeMauro, vice chairman and common supervisor for tactical area at Northrop Grumman mentioned on Friday (Feb. 19).
Years after her retirement, Johnson’s work was highlighted within the e book “Hidden Figures,” and later the movie of the same name starring Taraji P. Hensen as Johnson. Johnson obtained a congressional medal of freedom and the congressional gold medal from President Barack Obama for her work at NASA.
Associated: NASA facility dedicated to mathematician Katherine Johnson
Particular supply
Tucked contained in the Cygnus is a bevy of time-sensitive cargo objects, together with a provide of contemporary meals for the astronauts on the area station. Throughout a prelaunch briefing on Friday, NASA officers mentioned they had been sending up some treats for the crew members of Expedition 64, together with salmon, arduous salami, parmesan cheese, caramel arduous candies and different perishable objects.
“We need to hold the crew completely happy, as a result of a contented crew is a productive crew for science,” David Brady, affiliate program scientist for the Worldwide House Station, mentioned previous to launch.
Additionally contained in the Cygnus is a brine processor meeting for the area station’s water recycling system, which converts urine into fresh drinking water. NASA says the brand new processor will allow extra water to be recovered from urine than with the present tools on station. The company says it is a key piece of {hardware} to assist meet the necessities for future long-duration missions to the moon and ultimately Mars.
“Lengthy-duration crewed exploration missions require about 98% water restoration, and there may be at present no state-of- the-art expertise in brine processing that may assist obtain this purpose,” NASA officers wrote in a fact sheet. “This brine processor system plans to shut this hole for the urine waste stream of the area station.”
The tools works through the use of particular membranes to separate contaminants from the brine, permitting water vapor to stream into the cabin ambiance, the place a condenser will seize it and filter it into the station’s water system.
Additionally onboard the Cygnus will likely be a brand new sleeping pod for the Expedition 64 crew. At the moment there are 5 astronauts within the U.S. section — 4 Crew-1 astronauts who launched in November on board a SpaceX Crew Dragon, and Kate Rubins who flew on a Soyuz final October — with solely 4 sleep stations. Hopkins, the Crew Dragon commander, has been sleeping within the capsule since launching in November. Three Russian cosmonauts spherical out the station’s crew.
Cygnus is also ferrying spare components and tools for the area station’s bogs, and tools for upcoming spacewalks.
Bizarre science
The bevy of analysis experiments introduced up on the NG-15 mission will researchers to higher perceive how microgravity impacts the human physique in addition to manufacturing processes. One investigation will have a look at the development of protein-based artificial retinas on station.
Designed by LambdaVision, the experiment will use a layer-by-layer course of to fabricate synthetic retinas in area. The hope is that the “retina” can then be implanted into the attention of a affected person affected by degenerative retinal illnesses comparable to retinitis pigmentosa or macular degeneration.
One high-tech experiment aboard is the Spaceborne Computer-2, a collaboration by Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) and Microsoft to carry cloud computing and synthetic intelligence expertise to the Worldwide House Station. Microsoft will hyperlink its Azure Space Platform to the pc to “ship edge computing and [artificial intelligence] capabilities” to the station, in keeping with HPE.
One other experiment will measure muscle energy in a number of generations of worms, to higher perceive the organic modifications that occur throughout spaceflight. Led by Siva Vanapalli, the experiment will have a look at how the muscle energy in worms modifications additional time throughout spaceflight.
About 1,000 worm larvae are en path to the area station, tucked contained in the Cygnus as a part of the Micro-16 investigation. As soon as on station, the worms will produce many offspring throughout their journey, permitting researchers to have a look at a number of generations. They’re additionally sending a tool known as NemaFlex, which is designed to measure how a lot power the worms exert.
Vanapalli is hoping that the system will allow the staff to measure modifications within the worm’s energy which may be useful to drug improvement in addition to assist researchers enhance astronaut well being.
Additionally on board the Cygnus are a number of pupil experiments together with the Magnitude.io experiment that may assist interact college students in STEM tasks with the assistance of bitmoji stickers. The experiment, called ExoLab 8, is Magnitude.io’s eighth investigation despatched to the area station.
Mission members (which can embody college students from Kindergarten by means of school stage) will try to develop pink clover vegetation at house and of their lecture rooms to behave as a floor management experiment, and evaluate progress charges to related vegetation grown in area.
On-line actions will likely be led by an Astro_moji instructor — Linwood Elementary Know-how instructor, Lisa Turney. Her likeness will likely be changed into a bitmoji who will train college students from area by way of her bitmoji avatar. The experiment will depend on a SpaceTango CubeLab that may facilitate plant progress.
“We’re taking distance studying to an entire new stage: 250 miles above the Earth to an orbital classroom,” Magnitude.io CEO Ted Tagami wrote in a news release. “Whereas the pandemic disrupted many studying experiences, our mission members will bear in mind 2021 because the yr they went to area.”
Observe Amy Thompson on Twitter @astrogingersnap. Observe us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or Fb.