NASA / SpaceX - Cots Demo-2 Mission patch.
31 May 2012
Dragon Departs the Station
The SpaceX Dragon capsule was released from the International Space Station’s robotic arm by crew members of Expedition 31 at 5:49 a.m. EDT. The capsule now will begin a series of departure burns and maneuvers to move beyond the 656-foot (200-meter) “keep out sphere” around the station and begin its return trip to Earth. NASA TV coverage will resume at 10:15 a.m. to follow the capsule’s deorbit and splashdown. The capsule is currently scheduled to splashdown in the Pacific Ocean at 11:44 a.m., hundreds of miles west of Baja California. A news briefing will be held jointly from Johnson and SpaceX in Hawthorne, Calif., at 2 p.m. live on NASA TV.
Image above: The SpaceX Dragon cargo vehicle is released by the station's robotic arm for return to Earth. Image credit: NASA TV.
This mission is a demonstration flight by Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX, as part of its contract with NASA to have private companies launch cargo safely to the International Space Station.
For more information about SpaceX Dragon spacecraft Cost Demo-2 Mission, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/commercial/cargo/spacex_index.html
Image, Video, Text, Credits: NASA / NASA TV / SpaceX.
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