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The Cygnus cargo plane carrying logistics and experimental scientific material arrives at the International Space Station (ISS). Photo / Space / NASA
NASA astronaut Nicole Mann, assisted by NASA crew mate Josh Cassada, captures the Cygnus spacecraft with the space station’s robotic arm on Wednesday, November 9, 2022 at 5:20 am EST USA. The robotic arm will transfer the Cygnus capsule to the Unity module on the International Space Station (ISS) and bind to a port facing Earth.
“Congratulations to the NG-18 team for their tireless efforts to get Sally Ride to the ISS for today’s successful capture,” Mann, who picked up the Cygnus cargo ship with a robotic arm, sent a radio to Mission Control. The process of capturing the Cygnus cargo with a robot was performed when the position of the ISS was flying high over the Indian Ocean.
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Sally Ride is the nickname for the Cygnus spacecraft, named after the late US astronaut who was the first to reach space and died in 2012. “Returning to orbit, the stars don’t look bigger but definitely brighter,” says Mann. . he quotes the famous saying of Sally Ride.
Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus robotic vector launched on the ISS on Monday, November 7, 2022 from Virginia. Cygnus is carrying 3.7 tons of scientific experiments and logistical supplies, the heaviest ever recorded in a space launch.
The Cygnus spacecraft encountered technical problems shortly after launch. The freighter only managed to install one of its two solar panels after takeoff. However, Cygnus was still able to reach the ISS safely.
“Northrop Grumman is working closely with NASA to monitor and evaluate the spacecraft for tomorrow’s planned arrival, capture and deployment on the space station,” said NASA officials.
Read also; The first time the Cygnus capsule successfully maneuvered the ISS, Russia began to have competition
This means that there are three robotic spacecraft carrying cargo on the ISS, namely Cygnus, SpaceX’s Dragon capsule, and the Russian Progress vehicle. The Cygnus and Progress pods after the mission were unable to return to Earth because they were designed to burn in Earth’s atmosphere, but SpaceX’s Dragon was designed to return to Earth for reuse in subsequent launches.
(Spider web)