northrop grumman launches space station supply mission

Just a day ago, a Russian Progress cargo ship from Kazakhstan
In the early hours of Saturday, Northrop Grumman flew to the international space station and launched an Antal rocket from the east coast of Virginia.
The rocket launched a Swan supply ship into orbit with three other rockets.
7 tons of equipment and supplies were prepared for the laboratory building.
The company was two days late due to the stormy weather. built RD-
181 The first engine was ignited at 4: 01 by a thunderous roar. m.
ET, quickly push the rocket away from the pad in the middle
Atlantic space harbor-MARS -
Flight test facilities at NASA\'s volops Island, Virginia.
As it climbed directly onto the plane of the space station\'s orbit, it flew to the southeast, and Antares staged a spectacular light show, smoothly accelerating in the clear, deep night sky.
Within a few miles, the tail gas it burns is visible.
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The first phase of the fuel closes and disappears three minutes and 40 seconds after takeoff, and then ignites the solid of the rocket-
Upper fuel, burning more than twiceand-a-
It takes half a minute to reach the track.
Two minutes later, the Swan spacecraft separated from the second stage and started two-
Join the International Space Station for a day.
If all goes well, the spacecraft will automate the laboratory and arrive about 30 feet kilometers earlier on Monday.
At this point, Astronaut Serena o\'non-
Chancellor, who operates the robot arm of the space station, will lock on the grip device so that the spacecraft can be pulled into the centra Unity module of the lab to dock.
The spacecraft is equipped with 2,255 pounds of scientific equipment, 64 pounds of space walking equipment, 2,183 pounds of space station hardware, 253 pounds of computer equipment and 2,605 pounds of crew supplies, including fresh fruits and ice cream.
In the experimental hardware, there is a commercial 3D printer called \"Refabricator\", which can process waste materials into filaments for printing tools and other components;
A \"chip lab\" cell culture device for studying muscle cells
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Another goal is to learn more about proteins associated with Parkinson\'s disease.
In the next three months, the station staff will unload the cargo ship and use garbage and no-longer-
Equipment needed
Released from the station in the middle
On February, the spacecraft will launch three small cube satellites commercially.
Before returning to the atmosphere and burning, the nanomeks configurator was developed.
Saturday\'s launch was the tenth operational replenishment mission carried out by nortrupp Grumman and the recently acquired track ATK under the original 11-11.
The total flight contract with NASA is expected to be $2.
89 billion, according to the inspector general of the agency.
The company also held follow-up activities
In as-contracts for at least six space station replenishment missionsyet-
Cost not specified.
SpaceX also holds a commercial supply contract with NASA for $3.
20 flights 4 billion.
Like the track company, so does SpaceX.
Contract for additional flights.
On Friday, Russian space agency Roscosmos launched an alliance FG rocket from the Kazakh Baikonur space center, lifting MS-
10/71 P cargo ships enter orbit. Loaded with 2.
8 tons of propellant, crew supplies, water and equipment, progress will be docked at the Zvezda module in Russia on Sunday afternoonS. time.
The progressive launch is critical for Roscosmos and NASA as it shows a successful recovery starting in October.
10 when there is a problem with the system used to discard one of the four straps, start the abort-
The booster failed, forcing two people
The crew of an alliance Ferry made an emergency landing.
With Friday\'s successful launch, Russia plans to move ahead with plans to launch another Soyuz in December.
3 delivery vehicle commander Oleg Kononenko, David Saint, flight engineer, Canada-
Jacques and NASA astronaut Anne McLean came to the space station and briefly raised the lab staff to six.
The day after the launch of the alliance, SpaceX plans to launch a Dragon cargo ship from Cape Canaveral to transport another batch of supplies to the space station. Then on Dec. 20, Auñón-
Commander Alexander Gast and Ms League
09/56 commander Sergei ploppiev plans to return to Earth and close 196-day mission.
San Francisco extension
Jacques and McLean will own the station before another crew arrives in early April.