The Cygnus is carrying a new batch of kid’s books for the astronauts to read from the station, and even some Christmas presents for the astronauts.
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“NASA is delighted at the continued progress made possible by our investment in commercial space”, said NASA Deputy Administrator Dava Newman.
An unmanned Atlas 5 rocket blasted off from Florida on Sunday, sending a long-awaited Orbital ATK cargo ship on its way to the International Space Station for NASA. “All these missions are critical to our journey to Mars – a journey we have already begun”, Newman said. But the wind still was dangerously high; the launch team was hoping the gusts would ease in time for a 4:44 p.m. send-off.
Orbital ATK holds a Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract from NASA worth $1.9 Billion to deliver 20,000 kilograms of research experiments, crew provisions, spare parts and hardware for eight Cygnus cargo delivery flights to the ISS.
Cygnus’ launch is just the beginning of a busy few weeks at the space station: Three crew members are due to ride a Russian Soyuz space taxi back down to Earth on December 11, and three fresh spacefliers are scheduled for liftoff from Russia’s Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on December 15.
The spacecraft has 25 percent more storage space than the old Cygnus and lighter solar arrays that unfold into two circular, outstretched wings to generate power.
Orbital ATK has contracted a second Cygnus to fly on an Atlas in March 2016 on the OA-6 mission.
The mission will support dozens of experiments, some developed by students.
BASS-M (Burning and Suppression of Solids – Milliken) will evaluate flame retardant and resistant textiles as a mode of personal protection from fire-related hazards.
Be Civil – It’s OK to have a difference in opinion but there’s no need to be a jerk.
“It is our future”, Shireman stressed last week.
The payload is a Cygnus space capsule containing supplies for the International Space Station. NASA astronaut Scott Kelly, who commands the station and is in the midst of a one-year mission in space, is Lindgren’s backup. NASA aims to keep a six-month supply of food aboard and is now down to a four-month cushion. It is due to rendezvous at the International Space Station on Thursday (Dec. 10). The space station has been continuously occupied since November 2000.
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NASA has stressed station personnel were not suffering because of the supply interruptions.
