Crew Wraps Up Science Packing After Robotic Arm Grips Dragon

ISS – Epedition 58 Mission patch.

January 8, 2019

The SpaceX Dragon space freighter is in the grips of the Canadarm2 robotic arm today as the Expedition 58 crew wraps up cargo transfers inside the vessel. The space trio is also on lab duty conducting a variety of microgravity research aboard the International Space Station.

Image above: When the SpaceX Dragon cargo craft returns to Earth it will splash down in the Pacific Ocean a few hundred miles off the coast of southern California and Baja California. Image Credit: NASA.

Overnight, robotics controllers remotely commanded the Canadarm2 to grapple Dragon before its release from the Harmony module. Meanwhile, the hatches are still open and Flight Engineers Anne McClain and David Saint-Jacques continue loading time-critical space experiments inside the U.S. cargo craft.

The crew will shut the hatch to Dragon Wednesday and disconnect power cables. Then robotics controllers will take over, uninstall Dragon from Harmony overnight and maneuver it into release position. McClain will be in the cupola Thursday monitoring Dragon when it is released from the Canadarm2 around 4:35 a.m. EDT.

Image above: Flying over Pacific Equator, seen by EarthCam on ISS, speed: 27’607 Km/h, altitude: 406,17 Km, image captured by Roland Berga (on Earth in Switzerland) from International Space Station (ISS) using ISS-HD Live application with EarthCam’s from ISS on January 8, 2019 at 20:03 UTC. Image Credits: Orbiter.ch Aerospace/Roland Berga.

After its departure, Dragon will orbit Earth a few more hours before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of southern California. SpaceX personnel will retrieve Dragon and return it to port where NASA engineers will extract the precious cargo for immediate shipment to investigators around the country.

Related links:

Expedition 58: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition58/index.html

SpaceX Dragon: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/launch/spacex.html

Canadarm2 robotic arm: 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

Space experiments: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/index.html

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/Orbiter.ch Aerospace/Roland Berga.

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