The S.S. Sally Ride has safely docked at the International Space Station follow a nail - biting journeying in which one of its two solar array failed to deploy .
Northrop Grumman ’s expendable freighter launch on Monday , November 7 , carry 8,200 Ezra Pound of shipment to the ISS . On its way to the revolve space place , however , theCygnus condensation give out to deployone of its two solar arrays , which pick up ability for its trip through outer space . “ Northrop Grumman is assemble data on the 2nd array deployment and is working closely with NASA , ” the place agencywrotein a blog post on Monday .
Despite have only one full unfurled solar array , the Cygnus spacecraft safely go far at the ISS on Wednesday at 5:20 a.m. ET , according to a NASAblog post . As the consignment ejector seat approached the station , NASA astronaut Nicole Mann used theCanadarm2 robotic armto seize the vehicle and maneuver it towards the station ’s docking port . This isstandard procedurefor capturing Cygnus and not the result of the solar panel anomaly .
The Cygnus spacecraft moments after being captured by Canadarm2.Image: NASA TV
The 55 - fundament - farsighted ( 17 - meter ) Canadian arm features a “ deal ” that cosmonaut use to grab onto object and even the ISS itself . After Mann overtop the automatic weapon system from inside the ISS , ground controllers took over to conduct the condensation and tail it at the post ’s Unity module , NASAwrote .
A understanding for the malfunction has not yet been disclosed . “ To remain focused on the spacecraft ’s arrival at the station , Northrop Grumman and NASA made the determination not to deploy the second solar array after initial attempts to deploy it were unsuccessful , ” the place agency enounce .
This is Northrop Grumman ’s eighteenth resupply mission to the ISS as part of its Commercial Resupply Services declaration with NASA , in which it delivers crew supplies , equipment , and science experimentation to the orbiting place . The NG-18 Cygnus spacecraft wasnamed after Sally Ride , the first U.S. woman to reach blank , a feat she accomplished in 1983 .
Graphic showing the updated ISS configuration.Graphic: NASA
The shipment capsule render a diversepayloadthat includes a 3D printing machine for render human tissues , an experimentation on growing plants in blank , and the first orbiter acquire by Uganda and Zimbabwe . The merchant ship will stay committed to the ISS until its fiery disposal in the Earth ’s atmosphere in January .
More : Webb Telescope ’s Mid - Infrared Camera Is Fully Back in Action After Worrisome Glitch
CygnusNASANorthrop GrummanOuter spaceSpacecraftSpaceflight
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