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Bad weather on Earth forced a SpaceX supply ship to seize the opportunity to perform the first successful autonomous undocking of the International Space Station, Monday, January 11.
the Upgraded Dragon Cargo Ship, carrying 5,200 pounds. (2,500 kilograms) of science experiments and other supplies, was supposed to leave the complex in orbit at 10 a.m. EST (3 p.m. GMT).
NASA and SpaceX decided to abandon the attempt at 9:53 a.m. EST (14:53 GMT) due to bad weather at the craft’s landing site in the Atlantic Ocean off Daytona, Florida. The two entities will later decide when to make the next undocking attempt, officials said on NASA TV, which broadcast the undocking attempt live.
SpaceX upgraded Cargo dragon The capsule can carry 20% more cargo (and experiments) compared to its predecessor and can splash in the Atlantic Ocean rather than the Pacific, which speeds up science processing time since experiments can arrive at the space center. Kennedy from NASA nearby in as little as four hours. The new dragon can also be stationed twice as long as previous cargo dragon types, allowing for longer scientific investigations.
Video: Experience SpaceX’s first screwless automatic docking station at the Space Station
Related: SpaceX Launches Upgraded Cargo Dragon On NASA Space Station
This Cargo Dragon was launched on December 6 and made First autonomous docking of SpaceX supply ships to the International Space Station approximately 24 hours later. This mission, called CRS-21, marked the first time that a Cargo Dragon did not use the Canadarm2 robotic arm to dock at the space station.
The mission also marks the first time that two Dragon spacecraft have docked to the space station simultaneously, NASA said on NASA TV, as a Crew Dragon is currently stationed at the orbiting complex after. carrying four astronauts to the station in November.
In a report, NASA officials said the CRS-21 Dragon will bring “much more science to Earth than possible in previous Dragon capsules” because of improvements to the cargo spacecraft. Dragon’s return near NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida will also be the first time such an event has occurred since the withdrawal of the agency’s space shuttle fleet in 2011, allowing science to be processed.
A selection of return experiences includes:
- Cardinal Heart, which is examining how gravity changes cardiovascular (heart) cells at the tissue and cell level, which may help create new screens for heart problems and treatments to address them.
- Space Organogenesis (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), which examines how 3D organ buds develop from human stem cells and monitors changes in gene expression. The hope is that this investigation will advance the creation of artificial organs.
- Bacterial Adhesion and Corrosion, which examines bacterial genes used for biofilms and whether the biofilms could corrode stainless steel. It is also examining the effectiveness of a disinfectant that could control and remove resistant biofilms on future space flight structures.
- Sextant Navigation, which is testing techniques for using a sextant for emergency navigation on spacecraft far from Earth, while NASA hopes to send astronauts into lunar orbit as early as 2023.
- Fiber Optic Production, which returns experimental optical fibers made in space. These fibers had a mixture of zirconium, barium, lanthanum, sodium and aluminum (also called ZBLAN with reference to the chemical formula) and will examine the effectiveness of these space-created fibers compared to their counterparts on Earth.
- Rodent Research-23, which will bring back living mice from space to examine how arteries, veins, and lymphatic structures in the eye and retina change before and after space flight. This work is part of a series of experiments examining why 40% of astronauts have visual impairment during long duration space flights.
NASA added that ground crews will need to work quickly to bring valuable science back to Earth as the effects of gravity take hold of the experiments.
“After a SpaceX ship retrieves the capsule from the water, a standby team extracts critical science from the spacecraft and loads it onto a standby helicopter,” NASA said in the same statement. “The helicopter will deliver this science to shore within hours of the splash. Any remaining science cargo will either return in a second helicopter load or stay on the ship and be removed in port.”
Follow Elizabeth Howell on Twitter @howellspace. follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.
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