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Unmanned Cargo Ship Reaches ISS On Resupply Mission (telegraph.co.uk)

Posted by BeauHD on from the soon-to-be-common-occurrences dept.

An anonymous reader writes: NASA partner Orbital ATK reports an unmanned cargo shipped has successfully docked at the ISS, delivering 7,900 lbs (3.6 metric tons) worth of supplies for the crew of six astronauts. The supplies consisted of food, water, clothes, and materials needed for scientific research such as a new 3D printer and Gecko Gripper. The operation was over by 1452 GMT as the space station's robotic arm, operated by crew members, captured Cygnus and guided it into its berthing port. Orbital has launched five supply missions to the ISS as part of a $1.9 billion contract with NASA. "Our flexible Cygnus spacecraft has a lot of work left to do. Following its stay at the ISS, and for the first time, we will undertake three experiments onboard the unmanned spacecraft," said Frank Culbertson, president of Orbital ATK's Space Systems Group.

7 of 51 comments (clear)

  1. First post? by KGIII · · Score: 4, Insightful

    That this is first post is awesome. It has been here for a while and nobody has commented.

    Why is that awesome? It is so routine that we don't even get excited any more. I was a kid when we walked on the moon. Now, it's trivial to dock with a space station that's been in orbit for years and continuously occupied for the duration.

    That's kind of neat. (I have no idea if this is still first post.)

    --
    "So long and thanks for all the fish."
  2. MRA by PopeRatzo · · Score: 4, Funny

    The feminists have really gone too far now. They've even unmanned the space ship that resupplies the ISS.

    --
    You are welcome on my lawn.
  3. Aren't almost all the deliveries unmanned ? by Crashmarik · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The Progress-M has been doing this since the 90s. Is there something extra special about this delivery ?

    1. Re: Aren't almost all the deliveries unmanned ? by BarbaraHudson · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Not really. Orbital still needs to buy Russian engines. There's no tech like old tech. Should have stuck with the Saturn series and their proposed Saturn Heavy variants. Stupid space plane.

      --
      "Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
    2. Re:Aren't almost all the deliveries unmanned ? by R3d+M3rcury · · Score: 4, Interesting

      As I understand it, this is also the heaviest load ever delivered to ISS. Not sure that's a big deal, but...

  4. How to make it more exciting/timely by Provocateur · · Score: 3, Funny

    The editors simply need experience:

    Drone buzzes Space Station; drops off package

    Amateurs.

    --
    WARNING: Smartphones have side effects--most of them undocumented.
  5. Clothes by riverat1 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    The mention of clothes got me wondering about laundry on the ISS. So I looked it up and there is no laundry on the ISS. Everything they wear is delivered to the station and once it becomes to pitted out to wear they put it in the trash which is loaded in a Progress capsule. Once the Progress capsule is full it is deorbited to burn up in the Earth's atmosphere. So I guess we're all breathing the ISS's burnt up dirty laundry.

    Anyway they apparently have enough underwear to change it every 3 or 4 days but I have to think it smells like a gym in the ISS. Here's a story about the astronauts dirty laundry.