posted 03-25-2019 10:25 AM               

Northrop Grumman names spaceship for fallen Apollo 1 astronaut

Northrop Grumman has named its next space station resupply ship after an astronaut who died in NASA's pursuit of the first moon landing.

The "S.S. Roger Chaffee," Northrop Grumman's next Cygnus spacecraft to launch to the International Space Station, is christened in honor of the Apollo 1 astronaut, company officials announced on Monday (March 25).

posted 04-17-2019 02:07 PM               

Mission Update: NG-11 Space Station Resupply

Northrop Grumman's NG-11 mission is targeted to launch aboard the company's Antares rocket from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on April 17 at 4:46 p.m. EDT (2046 GMT). The company's Cygnus spacecraft will deliver science experiments and essential supplies to the crew on board the International Space Station.

Loaded with 7,600 pounds of research, crew supplies and hardware, this Northrop Grumman's 11th commercial resupply NASA-contracted mission. It will launch from Virginia Space's Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility.

About two-and-a-half hours after launch, an automated command will initiate deployment of the spacecraft's solar arrays. Full deployment will take approximately 30 minutes.

The Cygnus spacecraft, dubbed the SS Roger Chaffee, will arrive at the space station Friday, April 19. At about 5:30 a.m., Expedition 59 NASA astronaut Anne McClain will grapple the spacecraft using the station's robotic arm. She will be backed up by David Saint-Jacques of the Canadian Space Agency. NASA astronaut Nick Hague will monitor Cygnus systems during its approach. After capture, ground controllers will command the station's arm to rotate and install Cygnus on the bottom of the station's Unity module.

The Cygnus spacecraft is scheduled to remain at the space station until July 23, when it will depart, deploy NanoRacks customer CubeSats, and then have an extended mission in orbit until December before it will dispose of several tons of trash during a scheduled fiery reentry and destruction in Earth's atmosphere.

This will be the final mission under Northrop Grumman's Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-1) contract with NASA before starting the CRS-2 contract missions this fall. Under Northrop Grumman's contract, the company will fly 11 missions.

posted 04-17-2019 05:29 PM               

Northrop Grumman Heads to Space Station with New NASA Science, Cargo

Northrop Grumman's Cygnus spacecraft is on its way to the International Space Station with about 7,600 pounds of science investigations and cargo after launching at 4:46 p.m. EDT (2046 GMT) Wednesday (April 17) from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.

The spacecraft launched on an Antares 230 Rocket from the Virginia Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport's Pad 0A at Wallops and is scheduled to arrive at the orbiting laboratory around 5:30 a.m. Friday, April 19. Coverage of the spacecraft's approach and arrival will begin at 4 a.m. on NASA Television and the agency's website.

Expedition 59 astronauts Anne McClain of NASA and David Saint-Jacques of the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) will use the space station's robotic arm to capture Cygnus, while NASA's Nick Hague monitors telemetry. The spacecraft will stay at the space station until July.

This delivery, Northrop Grumman's 11th cargo flight to the space station under NASA's Commercial Resupply Services contract, will support dozens of new and existing investigations. Here are details about some of the scientific investigations Cygnus is delivering to the space station:

• Models for growing increasingly complex materials
  Advanced Colloids Experiment-Temperature-10 (ACE-T-10) will test gels in a microgravity environment. This research could aid in the development of increasingly complex materials that may serve as the building blocks for a range of applications on Earth including foods, drugs, and electronic devices. The process also may provide an efficient method to build new materials and equipment in space.

• Better life science research in a few drops
  Although the space station is well equipped for health and life sciences research, the equipment available for cellular and molecular biology still is limited compared to capabilities found in laboratories on Earth. To address this limitation, CSA designed Bio-Analyzer, a new tool the size of a video game console that astronauts on station easily can use to test body fluids such as blood, saliva, and urine, with just a few drops. It returns key analyses, such as blood cell counts, in just two to three hours, eliminating the need to freeze and store samples.

• Analyzing aging of the arteries in astronauts
  The Vascular Aging investigation uses ultrasounds, blood samples, oral glucose tolerance tests, and wearable sensors to study aging-like changes that occur in many astronauts during their stay on the space station. It's one of three Canadian experiments exploring the effects of weightlessness on the blood vessels and heart, and the links between these effects and bone health, blood biomarkers, insulin resistance, and radiation exposure. Increased understanding of these mechanisms can be used to address vascular aging in both astronauts and the aging Earth population.

• Testing immune response in space
  Spaceflight is known to have a dramatic influence on an astronaut's immune response, but there is little research on its effect following an actual challenge to the body's immune system. The rodent immune system closely parallels that of humans, and Rodent Research-12: Tetanus Antibody Response by B cells in Space (TARBIS) will examine the effects of spaceflight on the function of antibody production and immune memory. This investigation aims to advance the development of measures to counter these effects and help maintain crew health during future long-duration space missions. On Earth, it could advance research to improve the effectiveness of vaccines and therapies for treating diseases and cancers.

• Big buzz for new robot
  A fleet of small robots is set to take on big jobs aboard the space station. Building on the success of SPHERES, NASA will test Astrobee, a robotic system comprised of three cube-shaped robots and a docking station for recharging; the first two are aboard Cygnus. The free-flying robots use electric fans for propulsion and cameras and sensors help them navigate their surroundings. The robots also have an arm to grasp station handrails or grab and hold items. Astrobee can operate in automated mode or under remote control from the ground as it assists with routine chores on station, and requires no supervision from the crew. This has the potential to free up astronauts to conduct more research.

These are just a few of the hundreds of investigations that will help us learn how to keep astronauts healthy during long-duration space travel and demonstrate technologies for future human and robotic exploration beyond low-Earth orbit to the Moon and Mars. Space station research also provides opportunities for other U.S. government agencies, private industry, and academic and research institutions, to conduct microgravity research that leads to new technologies, medical treatments, and products that improve life on Earth.

posted 04-19-2019 08:32 AM               

S.S. Roger Chaffee Attached to Station

At 5:28 a.m. EDT (0928 GMT) on Friday (April 19), Expedition 59 flight engineer Anne McClain of NASA used the International Space Station's robotic Canadarm2 to grapple the Northrop Grumman Cygnus spacecraft S.S. Roger Chaffee as David Saint-Jacques of the Canadian Space Agency monitored Cygnus systems during its approach.

The Cygnus was then bolted into place on the Earth-facing port of the station's Unity module at 7:31 a.m. EDT (1131 GMT). The spacecraft's arrival brings close to 7,600 pounds of research and supplies to space station.

The S.S. Roger Chaffee will remain at the space station until July 23, when the spacecraft will depart the station, deploy NanoRacks customer CubeSats and then have an extended mission of nine months before it will dispose of several tons of trash during a fiery reentry into Earth's atmosphere.

posted 08-06-2019 11:43 AM               

Cygnus NG-11 Departs Space Station

The Cygnus spacecraft successfully departed the International Space Station on Tuesday (Aug. 6) at 11:15 a.m. EDT (1515 GMT), three months after arriving at the space station to deliver 7,600 of supplies and scientific experiments to the orbiting laboratory.

The Cygnus spacecraft will now remain in orbit until mid-December and coincide with a second Cygnus spacecraft scheduled for launch to the space station in October. This will be the first extended duration flight to demonstrate spacecraft's capability to fly two Cygnus vehicles simultaneously and support hosted payloads for longer periods of time.

The Expedition 60 crew outfitted Cygnus with the SlingShot Deployer that will eject a series of nanosatellites once the spacecraft reaches a safe distance and a higher altitude from the station.

posted 12-07-2019 09:27 AM               

After more than 230 days in space, our NG-11 Cygnus spacecraft successfully completed its mission earlier today [Dec. 6]. During the mission, we delivered nearly 8,000 pounds of cargo to the space station and flew two Cygnus spacecraft at once.