NASA and its international partners will soon receive scientific research samples and hardware after a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft departs the International Space Station on Thursday, May 22, for its return to Earth.
NASA will post updates on the agency’s space station blog.
These capabilities maximize satellite lifespan and protect satellites and spacecraft in low Earth orbit that provide services to people on Earth.
For more than 24 years, people have lived and worked continuously aboard the International Space Station, advancing scientific knowledge, and conducting critical research for the benefit of humanity and our home planet.
Learn more about the International Space Station at: https://www.nasa.gov/international-space-station -end- Julian Coltre / Josh Finch Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1600 julian.n.coltre@nasa.gov / joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov
On Thursday, May 22, a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft will leave the International Space Station for its return to Earth, bringing hardware and samples for scientific research to NASA and its international partners.
At 11:45 a.m., live coverage of the undocking and departure will start. m. EDT on NASA+. Discover how to view NASA content on social media and other platforms.
At 12:05 pm, the Dragon spacecraft will disembark from the Harmony module of the station’s zenith, or space-facing, port. M. and use its thrusters to get away from the station, which is controlled by SpaceX’s Mission Control in Hawthorne, California, at a safe distance.
The spacecraft will splash down off the coast of California on Friday, May 23, after reentering Earth’s atmosphere. NASA will update its space station blog with new information. No livestream footage of the splashdown is available.
The spacecraft, which was carrying nearly 6,700 pounds of supplies, science investigations, equipment, and food, launched on a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 21 as part of the agency’s SpaceX 32nd commercial resupply services mission. It reached the space station on April 22.
The MISSE-20 (Multipurpose International Space Station Experiment) exposed a variety of materials to space, including ceramic composites for reentry spacecraft studies, resins for possible use in heat shields, solar sails and reflective coatings, radiation shielding and detection materials, and other scientific equipment and samples Dragon will bring back to Earth. We can learn more about how these materials react to atomic oxygen, UV light, charged particles, thermal cycling, and other elements thanks to samples that were recovered from the station’s exterior.
Furthermore, following its successful grasping and relocating demonstration on the space station, Astrobee-REACCH (Responsive Engaging Arms for Captive Care and Handling) is making its way back to Earth. In the REACCH demonstration, Astrobee robots used adhesive pads and tentacle-like arms to capture space objects with various geometries or surface materials. End-of-life satellite maintenance, orbit change maneuvers, and orbital debris removal may all benefit from testing a method for safely capturing and moving debris and other objects in orbit. These features extend the life of satellites and safeguard spacecraft and satellites in low Earth orbit that serve Earthlings.
Additionally, books from the Story Time from Space initiative will be brought back. In space, crew members recorded themselves performing science experiments and read five children’s books about science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Along with related educational resources, the video and data gathered during the readings and demonstrations were downlinked to Earth and uploaded to a video library.
Additionally, OPTICA (Onboard Programmable Technology for Image Compression and Analysis) hardware and data from a one-year technology demonstration will be brought back to Earth. The OPTICA technology was developed to improve the transmission of ultra-high-resolution hyperspectral imagery in real-time from space to Earth. It also offered useful information for data processing and compression that could lower the bandwidth needed for communication, thereby lowering the cost of obtaining data from space-based imaging systems without lowering the amount of data. Additionally, this technology could enhance services that depend on Earth observations, like disaster response.
People have been living and working on board the International Space Station for over 24 years, furthering scientific understanding and carrying out vital research for the good of humanity and our home planet. As NASA prepares for upcoming human missions to Mars and deep space missions to the Moon under the Artemis campaign, as well as growing commercial opportunities in low Earth orbit and beyond, space station research helps ensure the future of human spaceflight.
Visit the International Space Station to learn more.
The website is https://www.nasa.gov/international-space-station.
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Josh Finch alongside Julian Coltre.
Washington, headquarters.
202-358-1600.
Julian. Dot coltre@nasa . gov / Joshua does not exist. NASA . gov and a . finch.
