Spaceflight Now reports that a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket was moved to pad 39A Wednesday “for the first launch of an upgraded version of the company’s Dragon cargo capsule for the International Space Station.” SpaceX will test-fire the main engines Thursday to prepare for the launch scheduled for Saturday at 11:39 EST. The Dragon cargo capsule “is scheduled to dock with the International Space Station’s Harmony module zenith port at 11:30 a.m. EST (1630 GMT) Sunday, delivering 6,553 pounds (2,972 kilograms) of supplies, experiments, and a new commercial airlock module to the orbiting research complex.”
Full Story (Spaceflight Now)
Tag: ISS
NASA Narrows Down ISS Leak to Zvezda Service Module
The AP reports that “a small air leak at the International Space Station finally has been traced to the Russian side, following a middle-of-the-night search by astronauts.” NASA “said Tuesday that the two Russians and one American on board were awakened late Monday to hurriedly seal hatches between compartments and search for the ongoing leak, which appeared to be getting worse. It was the third time in just over a month that the crew had to isolate themselves on the Russian side, in an attempt to find the growing leak.” NASA “officials stress that the leak remains small and poses no danger. The astronauts will now use leak detectors to try to pinpoint the leak in Russia’s main living and working compartment, called Zvezda.”
Full Story (Associated Press)
NASA Changes ISS’ Position to Avoid Collision with Debris
Bloomberg reports that NASA shifted the position of the ISS in order to avoid a “potentially catastrophic encounter with debris that would have passed within less than a mile of the orbital laboratory – a close shave in space terms.” NASA said in a statement that the debris was expected to pass by the ISS at approximately 6:21 p.m. EDT Tuesday. NASA “didn’t reveal the size of the debris, which would have passed within 1.39 km (0.86 mile), forcing the 150-second ‘avoidance maneuver’ burn by Mission Control in Houston.”
Full Story (Bloomberg)