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Since the company's rocket and spacecraft are conducting a testflight, the manifest attests to important goods for the station'screw of astronauts and cosmonauts, but not mission-critical items. A successful flight, due to liftoff from Cape Canaveral Air ForceStation, Fla.,at 4:55 a.m. EDT on May 19, is expected to lead toregular cargo missions that will carry a wider range of goods tothe orbiting laboratory. Hawthorne, Calif.-based SpaceX, formallyknown as Space Exploration Technologies, is also deep into the workrequired to make Dragon suitable to carry people into orbit. The mission is a landmark because it is the first time a privatelybuilt spacecraft will head to the International Space Station. Theflight, which includes no crew members other than those already onthe station who will guide Dragon's arrival, carries enormouschallenges and involves numerous individual evaluations. Most of the cargo's weight, 674 pounds, is in food and crewprovisions, including the meals, crew clothing and batteries andother pantry items. A laptop and its accompanying accessories willalso make the journey. Tucked inside the Dragon capsule are two NanoRacks dedicated tostudent experiments that will study a range of microgravity-relatedareas from microbial growth to water purification. The mission calls for the 18-foot-high Dragon to approach thestation after its sensors and navigation systems are checked outthoroughly. The spacecraft will go through numerous tests duringthe third day of the flight as it passes within about 1.5 miles ofthe station. Communications networks from the spacecraft to thestation will be evaluated during this phase, too. On the fourth day of the mission, the spacecraft will perform amethodical approach to the space station. It will first fly aroundthe station at more than 6.2 miles and then fly under it no closerthan 1.6 miles. With navigation units on the spacecraft and stationrelaying information, the Dragon will approach slowly from beneaththe station, pausing at several stages as systems are continuallychecked. The crew aboard the space station will take command of Dragonbriefly to test the capsule's ability to retreat from the station.The spacecraft will later move to a position about 700 feet fromthe station so controllers can determine whether it is safe toallow a closer rendezvous. Assuming a "go" is given, the Dragon will close to within98 feet of the station and pause again. The next step will bringDragon to about 32 feet from the station, within reach of therobotic arm. Expedition 31 crewmember Don Pettit will steer the armto latch onto the cargo craft and connect it to the Harmony module. The station crew will unpack the Dragon during the next two weeksand load Dragon with more than 1,400 pounds of used scientific andspacewalking gear. Dragon will then be removed from the station bythe arm and released to fly back to Earth. Unlike the other cargo vehicles that resupply the station, theSpaceX craft is designed to return to Earth safely instead ofburning up in the atmosphere. That means experiments and otherequipment can be stowed inside the capsule and returned toscientists. SpaceX and Orbital Sciences Corp. are conducting demonstrationmissions under NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Servicescontract, known as COTS. We are high quality suppliers, our products such as China Smart Dongle I-box , OPENBOX Satellite Receiver for oversee buyer. To know more, please visits FTA Satellite Receiver.
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