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Forum:Commercial Space - Military Space
Topic:Orbital Sciences Antares-Cygnus Orb-2 CRS flight
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Robert Pearlman
SS Janice Voss arrives at space station

The Expedition 40 crew welcomed more than a ton and a half of science, supplies and spacewalking equipment to the International Space Station Wednesday (July 16) with the arrival of SpaceShip Janice Voss, an Orbital Sciences' Cygnus cargo spacecraft.

With the Janice Voss securely in the grasp of the Canadarm2 robotic arm, the robotics officer at Mission Control in Houston remotely operated the arm to guide the cargo craft to its berthing port on the Earth-facing side of the Harmony module. Once the Cygnus was in position, flight engineer Reid Wiseman monitored the Common Berthing Mechanism operations for first and second stage capture of the cargo ship, assuring that the vehicle was securely attached to the station with a hard mate.

Second stage capture was completed at 7:53 a.m. EDT (1253 GMT).

The Janice Voss was grappled at 5:36 a.m. as it flew within about 32 feet of the complex by commander Steve Swanson — with assistance from flight engineer Alexander Gerst — as he controlled the 57-foot Canadarm2 from a robotics workstation inside the station's cupola. Wiseman joined his crewmates in the seven-windowed cupola to assist with the capture and help coordinate the activities. At the time of capture, the orbital laboratory was flying around 260 statute miles over northern Libya.

After Wiseman removes the Centerline Berthing Camera System that provided the teams with a view of berthing operations through the hatch window, he will pressurize the vestibule between Harmony and the newly arrived cargo craft and conduct a leak check. Once that is complete, Swanson and Gerst will open the hatch to the vestibule and outfit the area for the opening of Cygnus' hatch around 6 a.m. Thursday.

Robert Pearlman
SS Janice Voss departs space station

Orbital Sciences Cygnus cargo freighter, the SpaceShip Janice Voss, completed a month-long delivery mission to the International Space Station on Friday (Aug. 15) when it was released from the grapple of the Canadarm2 robotic arm at 5:40 a.m. CDT (1040 GMT).

The SS Janice Voss is now orbiting on its own, separating from the station and heading for a deorbit and a fiery reentry over the Pacific Ocean on Sunday.

Expedition 40 flight engineers Alexander Gerst and Reid Wiseman were inside the space station's cupola remotely controlling the 58-foot Canadian arm from the robotics workstation. Gerst, who was backed up by Wiseman, was in charge of releasing the resupply vehicle after ground controllers at Mission Control, Houston remotely maneuvered it into the release position following its unberthing from the Earth-facing port of the Harmony module.

Filled with trash, Cygnus completed its second commercial resupply mission for NASA. Orbital Sciences launched the spacecraft July 13 atop an Antares rocket from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at the Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia. At least six more missions will be flown by Cygnus to the station through 2016.

The Expedition 40 crewmembers hope to document Cygnus' reentry Sunday as part of an engineering exercise to study the mechanics of the breakup of a space vehicle. The SS Janice Voss is scheduled to deorbit Sunday around 7:30 a.m. CDT (1230 GMT).

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