SpaceX Dragon 2 Freighter Brings Christmas Supplies and Dinner to Space Station

The next generation of SpaceX Dragon cargo ship 2, loaded with 6,500 pounds of equipment and supplies – including Christmas presents and accessories for a tasty holiday dinner – caught up with the International Space Station on Monday and flew away for a perfect docking.

Similar in appearance to the Crew dragon This Cprompted four astronauts At the space station last month, the unmanned Cargo Dragon’s docking mechanism engaged its counterpart atop the Harmony Module before at 1:40 p.m. EST as the two spacecraft cruised 260 miles over the southern ‘Indian Ocean.

The liaison, the first to use Harmony’s upper port, capped a perfect 26-hour rendezvous that began with the launch of the 21st SpaceX cargo mission on Sunday from the Kennedy Space Center.

“I would just like to say a big thumbs up to all the teams that worked on SpaceX-21,” astronaut Kate Rubins said from the space station. “It’s pretty amazing to think that less than a month ago you had four crew members at the International Space Station, and now you’re bringing a vehicle filled with world-class science for us to run. . Thank you.”

Unlike previous Cargo Dragons, Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus Supply Ship, and Japan’s HTV Freighter, all of which require the station’s robotic arm to pull ships for docking, the upgraded Dragon 2 was designed to fly on its own. until docking, just like its piloted counterpart.

Joining five other spacecraft already attached to the outpost – two Russian freighters, a Soyuz crew ferry, a Cygnus supply ship and the Crew Dragon stationed a few feet away – the Cargo Dragon increased the laboratory’s total mass to a record 996,828 pounds.

For its maiden flight, the pressurized cabin of the Dragon 2 freighter was loaded with 803 pounds of crew supplies; 2,100 pounds of scientific equipment; 265 pounds of spacewalk equipment; 698 pounds of vehicle equipment; 102 books of computer equipment; and 53 books of Russian material.

Included with crew supplies: roast turkey, cranberry sauce, cornbread dressing, blueberry and cherry cobbler, au gratin potatoes, cookies, and other morsels meant to provide a holiday feast for the seven members of the station crew.

A 2,400-pound airlock developed by Nanoracks, a company that facilitates flights by private industry, universities and government-sponsored experiments, was stored in the unpressurized trunk section of the capsule.

The airlock will be extracted by the robot arm from the station later and attached to the far left port of the Tranquility module. It is designed to be detached periodically, exhibiting experiences within and mounted on its exterior to the emptiness of space.