{"id":54897,"date":"2020-10-03T03:36:00","date_gmt":"2020-10-03T07:36:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/?migration=converted-node-465145"},"modified":"2023-07-26T16:00:57","modified_gmt":"2023-07-26T20:00:57","slug":"nasa-science-cargo-heads-to-space-station-on-northrop-grumman-resupply-mission","status":"publish","type":"press-release","link":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/news-release\/nasa-science-cargo-heads-to-space-station-on-northrop-grumman-resupply-mission\/","title":{"rendered":"NASA Science, Cargo Heads to Space Station on Northrop Grumman Resupply Mission"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"\" class=\"hds-media hds-module wp-block-image\"><div class=\"margin-left-auto margin-right-auto nasa-block-align-inline\"><div class=\"hds-media-wrapper margin-left-auto margin-right-auto\"><figure class=\"hds-media-inner hds-cover-wrapper hds-media-ratio-none \"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/ng-14_cygnus_launch.jpg\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1555\" height=\"1037\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/ng-14_cygnus_launch.jpg?w=1555\" class=\"attachment-2048x2048 size-2048x2048\" alt=\"A Northrop Grumman Antares rocket launches to the International Space Station on Oct. 2, 2020.\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/ng-14_cygnus_launch.jpg 1555w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/ng-14_cygnus_launch.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/ng-14_cygnus_launch.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/ng-14_cygnus_launch.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/ng-14_cygnus_launch.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/ng-14_cygnus_launch.jpg?resize=400,267 400w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/ng-14_cygnus_launch.jpg?resize=600,400 600w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/ng-14_cygnus_launch.jpg?resize=900,600 900w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/ng-14_cygnus_launch.jpg?resize=1200,800 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1555px) 100vw, 1555px\" loading=\"eager\" \/><\/a><\/figure><figcaption class=\"hds-caption padding-y-2\"><div class=\"hds-caption-text p-sm margin-0\">A Northrop Grumman Antares rocket launches to the International Space Station on Oct. 2, 2020, from NASA\u2019s Wallops Flight Facility, Wallops Island, Virginia. The rocket is carrying a Cygnus spacecraft with 8,000 pounds of supplies and experiments. <strong>Credits: NASA<\/strong><\/div><\/figcaption><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p>A Northrop Grumman Cygnus resupply spacecraft is on its way to the International Space Station with nearly 8,000 pounds of scientific investigations, technology demonstrations, commercial products, and other cargo after launching at 9:16 p.m. EDT Friday from NASA\u2019s Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Virginia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The spacecraft launched on an Antares rocket from the Virginia Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport\u2019s Pad 0A at Wallops and is scheduled to arrive at the space station around 5:20 a.m. Monday, Oct. 5. Coverage of the spacecraft\u2019s approach and arrival will begin at 3:45 a.m. on NASA Television and the agency\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/nasalive\">website<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/mission_pages\/station\/expeditions\/expedition63\/index.html\">Expedition 63<\/a> Commander <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/astronauts\/biographies\/christopher-j-cassidy\">Chris Cassidy<\/a> of NASA will use the space station\u2019s robotic arm to capture Cygnus, while Ivan Vagner of Roscosmos monitors telemetry during rendezvous, capture, and installation on the Unity module\u2019s Earth-facing port.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Cygnus will remain at the space station until mid-December before it disposes of several thousand pounds of trash as it burns up during a safe re-entry into Earth\u2019s atmosphere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This delivery \u2013 Northrop Grumman\u2019s 14th contracted cargo flight to the space station and the third under its Commercial Resupply Services 2 contract with NASA \u2013 will support dozens of new and existing investigations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Included aboard Cygnus for delivery to the space station are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Improving how we \u2018go\u2019 in space<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/feature\/boldly-go-nasa-s-new-space-toilet-offers-more-comfort-improved-efficiency-for-deep-space\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">A new toilet<\/a> is headed to the space station. Its features improve on current space toilet operations and help NASA prepare for future missions, including those to the Moon and Mars. The Universal Waste Management System (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/mission_pages\/station\/research\/experiments\/explorer\/Investigation.html?#id=1904\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">UWMS<\/a>) demonstrates a compact toilet and the Urine Transfer System that further automates waste management and storage. The smaller footprint of the UWMS supports a possible increase in the number of crew members aboard the space station, as well as planning for future exploration missions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Energy and water from waste<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The investigation Elucidating the Ammonia Electrochemical Oxidation Mechanism via Electrochemical Techniques at the ISS (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/mission_pages\/station\/research\/experiments\/explorer\/Investigation.html?#id=7362\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ammonia Electrooxidation<\/a>) examines a process for ammonia oxidation in microgravity. An electrochemical ammonia removal system could serve as an innovative water recovery system on long-duration missions to the Moon and Mars and provide vital drinkable water in remote and arid areas on Earth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Adding radishes to the space salad<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A new crop of vegetables is headed to the space station. While previous experiments have grown different types of lettuces and greens aboard the orbiting laboratory, the Assessment of Nutritional Value and Growth Parameters of Space-grown Plants (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/mission_pages\/station\/research\/experiments\/explorer\/Investigation.html?#id=7793\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Plant Habitat-02<\/a>) investigation adds radishes to the mix, cultivating seeds to see how different light and soil conditions affect growth. Findings could help optimize growth of the plants in space, as well as provide an assessment of their nutrition and taste.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Identifying targeted cancer treatments<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Leveraging Microgravity to Screen Onco-selective Messenger RNAs for Cancer Immunotherapy (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/mission_pages\/station\/research\/experiments\/explorer\/Investigation.html?#id=8265\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Onco-Selectors<\/a>) investigation tests drugs based on messenger ribonucleic acids (mRNA) for treating leukemia. In normal gravity, the drugs to be tested are onco-selective, meaning they can distinguish cancer cells from healthy ones. Researchers expect any drugs that also demonstrate this trait in microgravity could make good candidates for safer, more effective, and affordable medicines to treat leukemia and other cancers. This could improve survival rates for thousands of people every year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Spacewalks in virtual reality<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The International Space Station Experience (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/mission_pages\/station\/research\/experiments\/explorer\/Investigation.html?#id=7877\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ISS Experience<\/a>) is creating an immersive virtual reality series documenting life and research aboard the space station. Partnering with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.issnationallab.org\/blog\/experience-the-international-space-station-like-never-before\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ISS National Lab<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/time.com\/space-explorers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">TIME<\/a>, a team from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.felixandpaul.com\/?projects\/intro\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Felix and Paul Studios<\/a> launched a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/mission_pages\/station\/research\/news\/virtual_reality_camera_captures_life_on_ISS\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">customized 360-degree camera<\/a> to the space station in December 2018 that crew members have used to record a few hours inside the station every week. Felix and Paul and partner NanoRacks further modified an additional camera to withstand the extreme conditions of space and are launching for use in filming a spacewalk. The new camera will be mounted to the Canadarm2 to capture a spacewalk from start to finish as well as footage of Earth and the exterior of the space station. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These are just a few of the hundreds of investigations currently being conducted aboard the orbiting laboratory in the areas of biology and biotechnology, physical sciences, and Earth and space science. Advances in these areas will help to keep astronauts healthy during long-duration space travel and demonstrate technologies for future human and robotic exploration beyond low-Earth orbit to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/in-lunar-orbit\">Moon and Mars<\/a> through NASA\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/specials\/artemis\/\">Artemis<\/a> program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition to science and research, this launch will also support commercial space endeavors. Est\u00e9e Lauder\u2019s New Advanced Night Repair serum will be photographed in the space station\u2019s iconic cupola window as part of NASA\u2019s efforts to enable commercial activities at the space station and develop a robust <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/leo-economy\/low-earth-orbit-economy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">low-Earth orbit economy<\/a>. The imagery will be used on the brand\u2019s social media platforms. These opportunities can help catalyze and expand space exploration markets for many businesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Cygnus spacecraft for this resupply mission is named in honor of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/chawla_kalpana.pdf?emrc=b7b7dd\">Kalpana Chawla<\/a>, who made history at NASA as the first female astronaut of Indian descent. Chawla, who dedicated her life to understanding flight dynamics, lost her life during the STS-107 mission when the space shuttle Columbia disintegrated upon reentering Earth\u2019s atmosphere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Learn more about Northrop Grumman\u2019s mission at:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/northropgrumman\/\"><strong>https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/northropgrumman\/<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Get breaking news, images and features from the space station on <a href=\"https:\/\/instagram.com\/iss\" rel=\"noopener\">Instagram<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/iss\" rel=\"noopener\">Facebook<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.twitter.com\/Space_Station\" rel=\"noopener\">Twitter<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>-end-<\/p>\n\n\n<p>Kathryn Hambleton<br \/>\nHeadquarters, Washington<br \/>\n202-358-1100<br \/>\n<a href=\"mailto:kathryn.hambleton@nasa.gov\">kathryn.hambleton@nasa.gov<\/a><br \/>\nCourtney Beasley<br \/>\nJohnson Space Center, Houston<br \/>\n281-483-5111<br \/>\n<a href=\"mailto:courtney.m.beasley@nasa.gov\">courtney.m.beasley@nasa.gov<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A Northrop Grumman Cygnus resupply spacecraft is on its way to the International Space Station with nearly 8,000 pounds of scientific investigations, technology demonstrations, commercial products, and other cargo after launching at 9:16 p.m. EDT Friday from NASA\u2019s Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Virginia. The spacecraft launched on an Antares rocket from the Virginia [...]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":57963,"template":"","meta":{"nasa_hds_core_meta_l10n":"en-US","nasa_hds_core_meta_article_editor":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_article_contacts":[],"nasa_hds_core_meta_article_topic":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_linked_locations":[],"nasa_hds_core_meta_article_related_articles":[],"hds_migrate_meta_pr_release_id":"20-094","hds_migrate_meta_pr_release_type":"RELEASE","nasa_hds_core_meta_location_x":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_location_y":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_gallery_images":[]},"categories":[3190,2801,8369,2857,2735,2861,2867,3102,2872],"news-tags":[12372],"internal-terms":[9508,9505],"coauthors":[],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"NASA Science, Cargo Heads to Space Station on Northrop Grumman Resupply Mission","url":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/news-release\/nasa-science-cargo-heads-to-space-station-on-northrop-grumman-resupply-mission\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/news-release\/nasa-science-cargo-heads-to-space-station-on-northrop-grumman-resupply-mission\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/ng-14_cygnus_launch.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/ng-14_cygnus_launch.jpg"},"articleSection":"Missions","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"NASA"}],"creator":["NASA"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"NASA","logo":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/themes\/nasa\/assets\/images\/nasa-logo.svg"},"keywords":["NASA Centers & Facilities","Wallops Flight Facility","Commercial Resupply","Commercial Space","Expedition 63","Goddard Space Flight Center","International Space Station (ISS)","Johnson Space Center","NASA Headquarters","STS-107"],"dateCreated":"2020-10-03T07:36:00Z","datePublished":"2020-10-03T07:36:00Z","dateModified":"2023-07-26T20:00:57Z"},"rendered":"<meta name=\"parsely-title\" content=\"NASA Science, Cargo Heads to Space Station on Northrop Grumman Resupply Mission\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-link\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/news-release\/nasa-science-cargo-heads-to-space-station-on-northrop-grumman-resupply-mission\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-type\" content=\"post\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-image-url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/ng-14_cygnus_launch.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-pub-date\" content=\"2020-10-03T07:36:00Z\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-section\" content=\"Missions\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-tags\" content=\"NASA Centers & Facilities,Wallops Flight Facility,Commercial Resupply,Commercial Space,Expedition 63,Goddard Space Flight Center,International Space Station (ISS),Johnson Space Center,NASA Headquarters,STS-107\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-author\" content=\"NASA\" \/>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/nasa.gov\/p.js"},"read_time":5,"featured_image":{"id":57963,"file":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/ng-14_cygnus_launch.jpg","title":"ng-14_cygnus_launch","alt":"A Northrop Grumman Antares rocket launches to the International Space Station on Oct. 2, 2020.","caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press-release\/54897"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press-release"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/press-release"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press-release\/54897\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":369587,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press-release\/54897\/revisions\/369587"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/57963"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54897"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54897"},{"taxonomy":"news-tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-tags?post=54897"},{"taxonomy":"internal-terms","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/internal-terms?post=54897"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=54897"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}