Space
SpaceX Launches NASA International Space Station Resupply Mission Today! (LIVESTREAM)
Thomas Carannante
First Posted: Apr 14, 2014 11:43 AM EDT
After two delays spanning almost a month, SpaceX will execute the third resupply mission to the International Space Station today at 4:58 p.m. The Falcon 9 rocket will carry 5,000 lbs. of (very interesting) cargo inside the Dragon spacecraft.
Liftoff will take place at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, and you can view the live launch via NASA TV Live. Although the launch of the resupply mission is significant (since it was originally scheduled for March 16), it's perhaps more notable that some fascinating pieces of cargo will be sent to the ISS. They were previously mentioned in this article, but now there's more information.
NASA provided the public with their images of the day, which include some of the interesting things aboard the Dragon spacecraft. Much of the cargo contains essentials such as research samples, food, spacesuits, equipment for maintenance, etc., but there are some bizarre/interesting goods that the astronauts will receive.
Two of the five "weird things" being launched today include a couple of projects that were researched extensively for the astronauts' use. These include robotic astronaut legs as well as vegetables that grow in space. The robotic legs are for NASA's humanoid robot Robonaut 2, which is the space station's robotic crew member. The new legs are expected to provide the robonaut with the mobility it needs to help with "regular and repetitive tasks inside and outside the space station." The robonaut's projected height of nine feet will help the astronauts complete difficult tasks.
The "Veggie Experiment" is expected to provide the astronauts with the ability to grow and consume salad-type crops in space. Plants and vegetables were previously grown on the ISS, but they were not tested for edibility. The experiment is expected to further develop plant growth research on the station and if successful, could lessen the loads of future cargo shipments.
The ISS will also receive its very own laser, called NASA's Optical Payload for Lasercomm Science (OPALS), which is a new laser communications experiment. The project hopes to improve and quicken information transfer from the space station to earth. It's expected to serve as a stepping-stone experiment for future deep-space missions.
Other research/project-oriented cargo include microbes swabbed from historical spaces (part of Project Microbial Ecology Research Combining Citizen and University Researchers) and PhoneSat 2.5, which is a smartphone-based satellite that will circle Earth.
To read more about the cargo that will be launched to the ISS later today, visit this Fox News article.
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First Posted: Apr 14, 2014 11:43 AM EDT
After two delays spanning almost a month, SpaceX will execute the third resupply mission to the International Space Station today at 4:58 p.m. The Falcon 9 rocket will carry 5,000 lbs. of (very interesting) cargo inside the Dragon spacecraft.
Liftoff will take place at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, and you can view the live launch via NASA TV Live. Although the launch of the resupply mission is significant (since it was originally scheduled for March 16), it's perhaps more notable that some fascinating pieces of cargo will be sent to the ISS. They were previously mentioned in this article, but now there's more information.
NASA provided the public with their images of the day, which include some of the interesting things aboard the Dragon spacecraft. Much of the cargo contains essentials such as research samples, food, spacesuits, equipment for maintenance, etc., but there are some bizarre/interesting goods that the astronauts will receive.
Two of the five "weird things" being launched today include a couple of projects that were researched extensively for the astronauts' use. These include robotic astronaut legs as well as vegetables that grow in space. The robotic legs are for NASA's humanoid robot Robonaut 2, which is the space station's robotic crew member. The new legs are expected to provide the robonaut with the mobility it needs to help with "regular and repetitive tasks inside and outside the space station." The robonaut's projected height of nine feet will help the astronauts complete difficult tasks.
The "Veggie Experiment" is expected to provide the astronauts with the ability to grow and consume salad-type crops in space. Plants and vegetables were previously grown on the ISS, but they were not tested for edibility. The experiment is expected to further develop plant growth research on the station and if successful, could lessen the loads of future cargo shipments.
The ISS will also receive its very own laser, called NASA's Optical Payload for Lasercomm Science (OPALS), which is a new laser communications experiment. The project hopes to improve and quicken information transfer from the space station to earth. It's expected to serve as a stepping-stone experiment for future deep-space missions.
Other research/project-oriented cargo include microbes swabbed from historical spaces (part of Project Microbial Ecology Research Combining Citizen and University Researchers) and PhoneSat 2.5, which is a smartphone-based satellite that will circle Earth.
To read more about the cargo that will be launched to the ISS later today, visit this Fox News article.
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone