Monthly Archives: May 2012

Dragon departs from ISS

Dragon is berthed to the Earth-facing port of the Harmony module (Credit: ESA/NASA)

UPDATE 17:42 CEST (15:42 UT): Dragon splashdown confirmed!

UPDATE 17:37 CEST (15:37 UT): Three main parachutes are deployed.

17:35 CEST (15:35 UT): Dragon's drogue parachutes have deployed.

17:25 CEST (15:25 UT): Dragon has performed reentry burn and is on course for splashdown in the Pacific Ocean at 17:44 CEST (15:44 UT)

11:49 CEST (09:49 UT): Dragon released from the ISS & starts journey to return to Earth.

11:45 CEST (09:45 UT): Go given to release Dragon.

10:07 CEST (08:07 UT): Bolts attaching Dragon to the Harmony module are now released - the spacecraft is officially demated from the ISS. Joe Acaba will now take the controls of the Canadarm2 to manoeuvre the spacecraft towards the release point.

The ISS Expedition 31 crew are currently preparing to unberth the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft from the Harmony module. They will manoeuvre it out a release point 10 metres from the ISS and then ungrapple the vehicle at 11:35 CEST (09:35 UT).

Dragon will perform a series of engine burns to take it away from the ISS. Several hours later a deorbit burn will send the spacecraft on its return journey to Earth. Dragon will re‐enter the Earth’s atmosphere and splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, about 450 kilometres off the West Coast of the United States. The splashdown is scheduled for around 17:44 CEST (15:44 UT).

Dragon returns some 660 kg of cargo to Earth with items including experiment and spacewalk equipment and some crew items. The capability of Dragon to return cargo to Earth is a unique property amongst the cargo spacecraft that are currently servicing the ISS (others are Europe's ATV, Japans HTV and the Russian Progress).

Schedule of events

Unberth from Harmony: ~10:05 CEST (~08:05 UT)
Release from Canadarm2: 11:35 CEST (09:35 UT)
Deorbit burn: ~16:51 CEST (~14:51 UT)
Splashdown: ~17:44 CEST (~15:44 CEST)

See: SpaceX Dragon spacecraft to return to Earth

Image: Dragon ready for release

ESA astronaut André Kuipers posted this photograph of the Dragon spacecraft as it was seen earlier today shortly before being released from the end of the Station's robotic arm to start its return journey to Earth.

Dragon spacecraft was manoeuvred into position for release (Credit: ESA/NASA)

More photos on André's Flickr photostream

Video replay: Dragon departs the ISS

A replay of this morning's departure of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. Dragon was unberthed from the Harmony module shortly after 10am and released from the Station's robotic arm at 11:49 CEST (09:49 UT).

Watch the replay from NASA TV:

Photos: AndreTweetup at ESTEC, 29 May

Eighty tweeps came to ESA’s technical centre in the Netherlands yesterday to talk to ESA astronaut André Kuipers in a live video call to the International Space Station. Here are a selection of photographs from the event.

Video replay: AndreTweetup inflight call with the ISS

ESA astronaut André Kuipers fields questions during a social media inflight call event with participants at ESA's space research and technology centre, ESTEC, in Noordwijk, the Netherlands.

Twitter followers talk to @astro_andre during #AndreTweetup

#AndreTweetup group photo

Eighty of ESA astronaut André Kuiper's Twitter followers came to ESA’s technical centre in the Netherlands yesterday to talk to him in a live video call to the International Space Station.

People were invited to send a question they would like to ask André. The lucky group was chosen from more than 500 applicants to attend the SpaceTweetup in ESTEC, the Netherlands. 10 of them then had the chance to ask their question directly to André, during the live call.

Before the call, hosted in ESTEC's Erasmus Centre, the Twitter followers were treated to an interactive 3D tour of the Space Station, saw a zero-gravity drop tower in action and visited ESTEC’s test centre. For the 80 attendees, from Spain, Italy, Belgium, Germany, USA and many from André’s home country, the Netherlands, met friends and made new ones. For some, it was an opportunity to see in person people they only knew via social media.

New blog from André: ‘Dragon attached to ISS, a milestone for spaceflight’

Dragon is berthed to the Earth-facing port of the Harmony module (Credit: ESA/NASA)

In his latest blog entry André Kuipers describes how he and his Expedition 31 crewmate Don Pettit operated the Station's robotic arm to first capture and then berth the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station. A highlight of André's PromISSe mission and an important milestone for spaceflight.

André writes: "Last Friday was a special day on my mission. Don and I docked the SpaceX’s cargoship Dragon to the Space Station. Dragon brings new equipment for the crew. On the 31st of May it will return to Earth with supplies from the others and myself. The Dragon mission is the operational highlight of my mission. But it is also a milestone for international spaceflight. This is the first time that a commercial spacecraft has flown to the ISS and docked with the Station. You could say a new era of spaceflight has begun. Soon private companies will take people to and from space."

Read more in André's blog: 'Dragon attached to ISS, a milestone for spaceflight'

Video replay: ISS crew talks to media about Dragon spacecraft

ISS Expedition 31 Flight Engineers Don Pettit, André Kuipers and Joe Acaba discuss Dragon's mission with reporters during a crew news conference. The crew opened the hatch to the newly arrived Dragon spacecraft earlier in the day. Dragon is scheduled to spend six days berthed to the ISS before being detached and released on May 31.

Video replay: ISS crew opens Dragon’s hatch

The ISS Expedition 31 crew opened the hatch to the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft today at 11.53 CEST (09:53 UT). Wearing protective masks and goggles, as is customary for the opening of a hatch to any newly arrived vehicle at the station, NASA astronaut Don Pettit entered the Dragon with Station Commander Oleg Kononenko.

Watch the replay:

ISS crew prepares to open Dragon hatch

The ISS Expedition 31 crew are preparing to open the hatch to the newly arrived SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. Dragon was berthed to the Station's Harmony module yesterday at 18:02 CEST (16:02 UT). Once the hatch is open they will set up ventilation to allow the air inside the vehicle mix with the Station air. After about 20 minutes they will enter Dragon for the first time on orbit.