SpaceX - Dragon CRS-19 Mission patch.
January 7, 2020
The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft splashed down at 10:42 a.m. in the Pacific Ocean about 271 miles southwest of Long Beach, California, marking the end of the company’s 19th contracted cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station for NASA.
Image above: A camera on the tip of the Canadarm2 robotic arm views the SpaceX Dragon as it separates from the International Space Station. Image Credit: NASA TV.
A key component being returned aboard Dragon is a faulty battery charge-discharge unit (BCDU), which failed to activate following the Oct. 11 installation of new lithium-ion batteries on the space station’s truss. The BCDU was removed and replaced during a spacewalk Oct. 18 by Expedition 61 flight engineers Christina Koch and Jessica Meir of NASA. The unit are being returned to teams on Earth for an evaluation and repair.
Dragon cargo craft splashed down in the Pacific Ocean (archive). Image Credits: SpaceX/NASA
Dragon launched on the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket Dec. 5 from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, and arrived at the station two days later with almost 3,400 pounds of science, supplies and cargo.
Related article:
Dragon Released from Station Carrying Science for Earth-Analysis
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2020/01/dragon-released-from-station-carrying.html
Related links:
Space Station Research and Technology: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/index.html
International Space Station (ISS): https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html
Images (mentioned), Text, Credits: NASA/Mark Garcia.
Best regards, Orbiter.ch
