Xmas supply ship finally arrives for astronauts
Print Edition
Christmas has finally arrived for the six space station astronauts.
A privately launched supply ship reached the International Space Station yesterday morning, three days after blasting off from Virginia. The space station crew used a hefty robot arm to capture the Cygnus capsule as the two craft zoomed side by side at 28,164 kilometers per hour.
The Cygnus is carrying 1,360 kilograms of equipment and experiments for NASA, including ants for an educational project. Also on board: eagerly awaited Christmas presents from the families of all six spacemen as well as some fresh fruit courtesy of NASA.
NASA is relying on private industry to keep the orbiting lab well stocked in this post-shuttle era and, in four more years, possibly supply rides for US astronauts as well.
Orbital Sciences Corp was supposed to make the delivery last month, well before Christmas, but the Virginia company had to wait. A space station breakdown in mid-December took priority, and NASA bumped the flight to January in order to repair the disabled cooling system at the orbiting outpost. Then, frigid weather at the launch site forced a delay. Then a strong solar storm interfered.
Flight controllers for Orbital Sciences, wearing mostly red company shirts, broke into applause once robot arm operator Michael Hopkins grabbed onto the Cygnus, more than 418 kilometers above the Indian Ocean, northeast of Madagascar. Within two hours, the capsule was bolted to the space station.
Because of the long day, the astronauts were supposed to wait until today before opening the hatch to Cygnus. But with presents from their families awaiting them, there was no telling whether they would oblige.
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