The Space Station Captures a Dragon Capsule
Explanation:
The space station has caught a dragon.
Specifically, in mid-April, the
International Space Station captured the unmanned
SpaceX
Dragon capsule
sent to resupply the orbiting outpost.
Pictured above, the station's
Canadarm2 had just grabbed the commercial spaceship.
The Dragon capsule was filled with over 5000 lbs (2260 kilos) of supplies and experiments
to be used by the current band of six ISS astronauts that compose Expedition 39,
as well as the six astronauts that compose Expedition 40.
After docking with the ISS, the Dragon capsule was unloaded and eventually released,
splashing down> in the
Pacific Ocean on May 18.
The current
Expedition 40 crew, now complete, will apply themselves to many tasks including
the deployment of the
Napor-mini RSA experiment which will use
phased array radar
and a small optical telescope to monitor possible
emergency situations on the Earth below.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
