47 ABC takes a look at the Cygnus spacecraft
Last week NASA officials in Wallops Island Flight Facility performed a full ‘hot fire test’ on its new Antares rocket, that’s the first time since a previous Antares rocket exploded back in 2014. Initial indications from the hot fire test suggest it was fully successful, and Tuesday morning 47 ABC got a look of the cargo load supply spacecraft that will be launched this July.
Orbital ATK’s 0A-5 Cygnus Spacecraft measures 6.39 meters long and weighs a 6,163 kg.Those supplies will head to the International Space Station.
Daniel Tani, the Senior Director at Orbital ATK says, “we are really excited to be here today as a milestone day. We are back on the path to a successful launch.”
Tuesday morning, wearing jackets, booties, and hair nets to protect the equipment from contamination, NASA and Orbital ATK officials showed us the spacecraft that will carry their next cargo mission to crew members in space.
“When you think of six people living in space you might forget that you need socks and you need printer paper, food, and you need pencils, and you need experiments, and you need spare parts that might break,”says Tani.
NASA officials tell us they will be sending six-months worth of supplies, equipment, and scientific experiments to the ISS. The trip will take less than a week to arrive and the mission will take a total of 75 days to complete. Robyn Gatens, the Deputy Director of the ISS says some of the supplies will go to the Saffire experiment , a current project that studies how fire works in space.
“It’s a technology demonstration mission of how a large fire burns in space and that will be ignited upon departure from the international space station,”says Gatens.
During Tuesday’s showcase of the craft, officials announced the name of the craft, the SS Allen Poindexter. This spacecraft is named after a fallen astronaut who’s assignments brought him to the Eastern Shore.
“Poindexter was a navy pilot and then and then a shuttle pilot commander. He had a very distinguished career both at the navy and at NASA and sadly passed away a few years ago and we are very honored to carry his name back to orbit where it belongs,” says Tani.
After a few more tests and tweaks to their equipment, NASA officials tell us they expect a successful launch in the coming month.
NASA officials tell 47 ABC more supplies will go in depending on the needs of crew from now until the launch date, As of Tuesday morning, officials tell us they expect the launch date to be in July, but have not set a date.
