ISS - Expedition 62 Mission patch.
April 6, 2020
A Russian rocket rolled out to its launch pad today as a new crew gets ready for liftoff to the International Space Station. Meanwhile, the Expedition 62 crew will send off a U.S. cargo craft on Tuesday packed with science and hardware.
Russia’s Soyuz MS-16 crew ship stands at its launch pad in Kazakhstan today after rolling out from its processing facility at daybreak. The rocket will launch on Thursday at 4:05 a.m. carrying NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy and Roscosmos cosmonauts Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner. The new Expedition 63 trio will dock to the rear port of the Zvezda service module at 10:15 a.m. to begin a 195-day mission. NASA TV will broadcast the launch and docking activities live starting at 3 a.m.
Image above: The SpaceX Dragon resupply ship is pictured during Expedition 58 before its release from the Canadarm2 in January of 2019. Image Credit: NASA.
NASA astronauts Andrew Morgan and Jessica Meir are loading the final critical research samples aboard the SpaceX Dragon resupply ship today. Dragon will splashdown in the Pacific Ocean carrying live mice, plant cells and other biological samples for analysis on Earth. Dragon is also packed with station hardware including spacesuit components for servicing and inspection.
Morgan will be monitoring departure activities when ground controllers command the Canadarm2 robotic arm to release Dragon on Tuesday at 9:15 a.m. EDT. This will end a 29-day stay at the Harmony module. Live NASA TV coverage begins at 8:45 a.m.
International Space Station (ISS). Animation Credit: NASA
Station Commander Oleg Skripochka is getting ready for his departure when he Morgan and Meir return to Earth on April 17. The veteran cosmonaut will be packing the Soyuz MS-15 crew ship with personal items and station cargo over the next week-and-a-half.
Related article:
3D Printing, Biology Research Make the Journey Back to Earth aboard SpaceX’s Dragon
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2020/04/3d-printing-biology-research-make.html
Related links:
Live NASA TV: https://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html
Expedition 62: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition62/index.html
Expedition 63: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition63/index.html
Live mice: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=8150
Plant cells: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=8223
Canadarm2: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/elements/mobile-servicing-system.html
Harmony module: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/elements/harmony
Soyuz MS-15: https://go.nasa.gov/2l8vit7
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
Image (mentioned), Animation (mentioned), Text, Credits: NASA/Mark Garcia.
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