Dragon tarnib kosmosejaama kaubalaevade dokke 2.4 tonni kaubaga

Ajatempel: 30. august 2021 2:00
Allikasõlm: 1865740
A SpaceX Cargo Dragon capsule approaches the International Space Station Monday. Credit: Thomas Pesquet/ESA/NASA

Closing out a 31-hour flight from a launch pad in Florida, a SpaceX Cargo Dragon capsule autonomously docked with the International Space Station Monday, delivering experiments, supplies, and fresh food to the complex.

The automated cargo freighter linked up with the forward port of the space station’s Harmony module at 10:30 a.m. EDT (1430 GMT), making contact with the outpost as it sailed 264 miles (424 kilometers) over Western Australia.

A few minutes later, the cargo ship retracted its docking ring, allowing 12 hooks to drive closed, creating a firm mechanical connection between the Dragon and the space station.

“Hard capture complete, and another excellent Dragon docking complete,” radioed Leslie Ringo, spacecraft communicator at NASA’s mission control in Houston.

“Congratulations to NASA and the SpaceX teams, and many thanks. No one has ever sent me a spaceship for my birthday before. I appreciate it,” replied astronaut Megan McArthur from the space station.

McArthur celebrated her 50th birthday Wednesday. She and crewmate Shane Kimbrough monitored the Dragon capsule’s final approach two the space station, ready to send commands for the supply ship to abort its rendezvous in the event of an emergency.

The Cargo Dragon capsule carried treats, such as ice cream, cheese, and fruit, for the space station’s seven-person crew. McArthur tweeted later Monday that she enjoyed a birthday dinner with her crewmates.

“My space brothers went all out: quesadillas and tortilla-pizzas with real cheese! Cookie decorating! Cake with chocolate ‘candles’! We haven’t unpacked the ice cream yet, so I guess that means a second party?” she tweeted.

The Cargo Dragon capsule delivered 4,866 pounds (2,207 kilograms) of supplies and experiments. The mission, known as CRS-23, marks SpaceX’s 23rd resupply flight to the space station since 2012 under contract to NASA.

It is the third flight of an upgraded variant of SpaceX’s Dragon cargo ship based the company’s human-rated capsule. It’s the second mission for this particular spacecraft, which previously flew to the station in December 2020.

Besides fresh food, the Dragon supply freighter delivered an array of technology demonstration, materials science, and biomedical experiments to the space station. The station astronauts plan to unpack more than a ton of science hardware from the Dragon spacecraft’s pressurized cabin.

Nende hulka kuulub Jaapani ettevõtte GITAI Japan Inc. väike robotkäsi, et demonstreerida kosmoseülesandeid, mis võivad viia tulevaste robotite väljatöötamiseni, et aidata astronaute pikaajalistel kosmosemissioonidel. Õlg läbib oma esitlusi, sealhulgas lülitite ja kaablite toiminguid ning kosmoses kokkupanemise katseid kaubandusliku Bishopi õhulüüsi omanduses olevas Nanoracksis.

Mõned ülesanded on GITAI andmetel autonoomsed, teised aga kaugjuhitavad Houstonis asuvast Nanoracksi rajatisest.

"Selle tehnoloogia tutvustamise eesmärk on näidata maailmale, et kosmose automatiseerimiseks vajalikud võimalused on lõpuks saadaval," ütles GITAI Jaapani tehnoloogiajuht Toyotaka Kozuki avalduses. "See pakub odavat ja ohutumat tööjõuallikat kosmoses, avades ukse kosmose tõelisele kommertsialiseerimisele."

A SpaceX Cargo Dragon capsule approaches the International Space Station Monday. Credit: Thomas Pesquet/ESA/NASA

Missioon sisaldab ka eksperimentide hostimispaketti, mida nimetatakse Faraday uurimiskeskuseks. Houstoni ettevõtte ProXops välja töötatud rajatise sisestavad astronaudid ühte kosmosejaama teadusriiulisse.

Sellel lennul viib rajatis läbi Houstoni metodisti uurimisinstituudi katse, et testida siirdatavat kaugjuhitavat ravimi kohaletoimetamise süsteemi. Teadlaste sõnul võib katse pakkuda alternatiivi mahukatele infusioonipumpadele, et aidata ravida Maa peal elavate patsientide kroonilisi haigusi.

NASA says the facility also hosts two educational experiments to be performed on the space station, including one with participation from a Girl Scout troop on the ground.

The Cargo Dragon also ferried samples to the space station for a NASA materials science experiment. The Materials International Space Station Experiment, or MISSE, investigations use a platform outside the complex to test the resilience of specimens in the harsh environment of low Earth.

NASA said the samples on the CRS-23 mission include tests of concrete, spacecraft materials, fiberglass composites, thin-film solar cells, radiation protection materials, and more.

Cargo Dragoni rõhu all olevasse kambrisse on paigutatud ka mitu CubeSati. Lähinädalatel ja kuudel paigutatakse need robotiliselt väljapoole kosmosejaama.

The resupply mission launched aboard a Falcon 9 rocket Sunday at 3:14 a.m. EDT (0714 GMT) from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The Cargo Dragon capsule is expected to remain docked to the space station for more than a month. At the end of its mission, the spacecraft will undock and return to Earth with several tons of cargo for a parachute-assisted splashdown off the coast of Florida.

E-POST autor.

Jälgi Stephen Clarki Twitteris: @StephenClark1.

Source: https://spaceflightnow.com/2021/08/30/dragon-supply-freighter-docks-at-space-station-with-2-4-tons-of-cargo/

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