The cargo mission to the space station is due to begin this week

WALLOPS ISLAND, Va. – An unmanned cargo rocket is expected to take off this week from the Virginia coast at the International Space Station.

According to the Daily Press, the launch is scheduled shortly before 5 am Thursday at the Wallops Island Spaceport on the east coast. The unmanned cargo ship Cygnus will carry 7,500 books of groceries, computer equipment and research equipment.

One of the scientific experiments on board will explore how the universe has formed from star dust. Another will explore the pathology of Parkinson's disease. And yet another concerns the sustainable manufacture and repair of plastics during long space missions.

NASA TV will broadcast the launch on its website starting at 4:15 pm Visitors will be able to watch the launch from the grounds and bleachers of NASA's Visitor Center.

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Information provided by: Daily Press, http://www.dailypress.com/