Fwd: Dragon leaves ISS for return home

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From: "Gary Johnson" <gjohnson144@comcast.net>
Date: May 18, 2014 1:01:18 PM CDT
To: "Gary Johnson" <gjohnson144@comcast.net>
Subject: FW: Dragon leaves ISS for return home

Dragon leaves ISS for return home

James Dean, FLORIDA TODAY 10:32 a.m. EDT May 18, 2014

 

(Photo: NASA TV)

One month after it launched from Cape Canaveral, SpaceX's Dragon cargo capsule is on its way back to Earth.

The unpiloted Dragon departed the International Space Station a 9:26 a.m. EDT to begin a trip expected to culminate just after 3 p.m. with a parachute-assisted splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, about 300 miles west of Baja California.

NASA astronaut and station commander Steve Swanson controlled a 58-foot robotic arm that pulled the Dragon from its Harmony node port at 8 a.m., then released the capsule into space 266 miles over the ocean south of Australia.

The spacecraft completed three thruster firings to move a safe distance from the station and its three-person Expedition 40 crew.

"Thanks to everybody who worked this Dragon mission; it went very well," Swanson radioed to the ground. "It's also very nice to have a vehicle that can take your science equipment, and maybe some day even humans, back to Earth."

The Dragon launched April 18 and arrived at the ISS April 20 with about 5,000 pounds of supplies. It is returning home with 3,564 pounds of science samples, crew supplies and vehicle hardware.

Dragon is the only cargo vehicle operating today that can return significant amounts of cargo to the ground. Russian, European and Japanese cargo freighters, plus Orbital Sciences Corp.'s Cygnus, all are destroyed during reentry into the atmosphere.

Russia's Soyuz carries three people up and down, but little else. The Dragon is one of several contenders to resume flights of NASA crews on U.S. vehicles in a few years.

Thrusters will fire at 2:08 p.m. EDT to begin the Dragon's fall to Earth. An unpressurized trunk that delivered two experiments to the station will be jettisoned before reentry. The splashdown will not be televised, but SpaceX is expected to report its progress on Twitter.

The mission was SpaceX's third of at least 12 under a $1.6 billion NASA resupply contract. The fourth is tentatively planned in August.

Before then, Orbital is planning its second contracted launch of a Cygnus to the station June 10 from Virginia.

Copyright © 2014 Florida Today. All rights reserved. 

 

 

SpaceX Dragon departs space station after month

By MARCIA DUNN 

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The commercial cargo ship Dragon left the space station on Sunday, heading home with nearly 2 tons of science experiments and old equipment.

After a one-month visit, the SpaceX cargo ship was set loose for its return to Earth. The astronauts released it using the International Space Station's big robot arm, as the craft zoomed more than 260 miles above the South Pacific.

"It's moving away," reported astronaut Steven Swanson, the station's commander.

"Nicely done," said Mission Control.

Swanson later added: "Very nice to have a vehicle that can take your science, equipment and maybe someday even humans back to Earth."

The Dragon capsule was bringing back 3,500 pounds of gear. The California-based SpaceX company was aiming for a Pacific splashdown in midafternoon, Eastern Daylight Time, about 300 miles off Mexico's Baja California peninsula. It's the only supply ship capable of safely returning items.

NASA is paying SpaceX and Virginia-based Orbital Sciences Corp. to make station deliveries. SpaceX also is competing for the right to ferry station astronauts, perhaps as early as 2017.

The Dragon rocketed to the space station on April 18 with a full load and arrived at the orbiting lab two days later.

Copyright © 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. 

 

SpaceX Dragon capsule leaves space station

By By Irene Klotz

CAPE CANAVERAL Fla. (Reuters) - The cargo ship Dragon, owned by California-based company Space Exploration Technologies, ended its 28-day stay at the International Space Station on Sunday and headed for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

Station commander Steven Swanson used a robotic crane to release the capsule, built and operated by SpaceX, as the company is known, at 9:26 a.m. EDT/1326 GMT as the two vehicles soared in orbit 266 miles (428 km) above Earth.

The capsule will return with more than 3,500 pounds (1,586 kg) of science samples for analysis on Earth, along with equipment no longer needed aboard the space station and spacesuit components in need of refurbishment.

"Thanks to everybody who worked this Dragon mission. It went very well," Swanson radioed to flight directors at NASA's Mission Control Center in Houston after Dragon left the station's orbit.

Dragon arrived at the space station on April 20, Easter Sunday, with a delivery of supplies and science experiments for the crew, and a pair of legs for the experimental humanoid robot aboard that one day may be used in a spacewalk.

The capsule was due to make a parachute descent into the Pacific shortly after noon EDT, splashing down about 300 miles west of Mexico's Baja California peninsula.

The mission marked the third of 12 under SpaceX's $1.6 billion contract with NASA for space station cargo runs.

The company also is vying against Boeing and privately owned Sierra Nevada Corp., for a related NASA project to develop space taxis to ferry astronauts to and from the space station.

(Reporting by Irene Klotz; Editing by Steve Gorman)

Copyright © 2014 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. 

 

SpaceX's Robotic Dragon Capsule Leaves Space Station for Earth

By Miriam Kramer, Staff Writer   |   May 18, 2014 09:40am ET

 

SpaceX's Dragon capsule was released from the International Space Station's robotic arm at 9:26 a.m. EDT (1326 GMT) on May 18, 2014. Credit: NASA TV View full size image

SpaceX's unmanned Dragon capsule departed the International Space Station today, putting it on a path back to Earth after about one month attached to the orbiting outpost.

The robotic spacecraft is loaded down with more than 3,500 lbs. (1,587 kg) worth of science samples and supplies which should be safely delivered to Earth once the SpaceX capsule splashes down in the Pacific Ocean later today (May 18). Splashdown is expected to occur at about 3:02 p.m. EDT (1902 GMT) off the coast of Baja California where officials can recover the supply craft.

The Dragon capsule orbits with the International Space Station before its release on May 18, 2014.
Credit: NASA TV

View full size image

Ground controllers maneuvered the space station's robotic arm to pluck Dragon from the Harmony module and move it into position for release. The spacecraft was let go from the station at 9:26 a.m. EDT (1326 GMT) as both flew 266 miles (428 kilometers) above the ocean south of Australia, according to NASA. [See photos of Dragon's mission to the International Space Station]

SpaceX's Dragon also performed a series of thruster burns to move a safe distance from the station before it is expected to execute its deorbit burn at about 2:12 p.m. EDT (1812 GMT).

Dragon has been attached to the space station since April 20, after its launch atop the private spaceflight company's Falcon 9 rocket on April 18 from Florida. SpaceX successfully performed a daring reusable rocket test during the April 18 launch. The spaceflight company brought the boost stage of the Falcon 9 rocket back to Earth, landing it upright in the ocean, after delivering Dragon to the proper orbit.

SpaceX's Dragon capsule flies above Angola while attached to the International Space Station just before its release on May 18, 2014.
Credit: NASA TV

View full size image

This mission marks the third official Dragon resupply mission to the International Space Station. When it docked to the station, the spacecraft successfully delivered about 5,000 lbs. (2,268 kilograms) to the crewmembers living and working aboard the space laboratory.

At the moment, Dragon is the only cargo ship that can bring supplies back to Earth from the International Space Station. While other spacecraft like Russia's Progress, Europe's ATV and Japan's HTV can deliver cargo to the orbiting outpost, they are destroyed in Earth's atmosphere during re-entry.

"It's also very nice to have a vehicle that can take your science equipment and maybe even humans someday back to Earth," space station resident and NASA astronaut Steve Swanson said after Dragon's release. SpaceX is currently developing a manned version of the Dragon that could potentially bring humans to and from the orbiting outpost in the future.

SpaceX currently holds a $1.6 billion contract with NASA to fly 12 resupply missions to the station using the unmanned Dragon capsule and Falcon 9 rocket.

But the California-based company isn't the only organization that holds a resupply contract with NASA. The space agency also has a $1.9 billion deal with Orbital Sciences Corp. to fly eight missions to the orbiting outpost using the Cygnus spacecraft and its Antares rocket. Orbital Sciences is scheduled to launch its second cargo run to the station at the beginning of June.

At the moment, the space station plays host to an international trio of spaceflyers. NASA's Swanson is joined by Russian cosmonauts Alexander Skvortsov and Oleg Artemyev. They will man the orbiting outpost until a new crew of three launches to space on May 28.

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