posted 06-02-2023 12:26 PM               

SpaceX CRS-28 Mission Overview

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the CRS-28 Dragon spacecraft to deliver cargo to and from the International Space Station for NASA.

The eighth flight under NASA's Commercial Resupply Services-2 contract with SpaceX, the CRS-28 Dragon will carry research, logistics and hardware for the Expedition 69/70 crew including:

• Thor-Davis, an investigation from ESA (European Space Agency) to observe thunderstorms from the space station. This vantage point allows researchers to see the electrical activity from above, particularly the inception, frequency and altitude of recently discovered blue discharges.

• Plant Habitat-03 (PH-03) will assess whether plants grown in space can transfer epigenetic changes, which involve adding extra information to DNA rather than changing it, to the next generation and, if so, whether an adaptation continues or stabilizes. The investigation creates a second generation of spaceflight plants using seeds previously produced on orbit and returned to Earth.

• Genes in Space-10 will test a technique for measuring telomere (genetic structures that protect our chromosomes) length in microgravity, where methods typically employed on Earth are difficult to use. Genes in Space is a national contest for students in grades 7 through 12 to design biotechnology experiments for space.

• Nanoracks IRIS will observe weathering of geological samples from direct solar and background cosmic radiation to determine whether changes are visually detectable over short time scales. The investigation will also demonstrate experimental sun sensors, torque rods (which provide attitude control and detumbling for satellites) and a battery heater. Results could provide insight into similar processes on planetary bodies and, when combined with data from asteroid sampling missions, improve understanding of the origins of asteroids.

The mission will also deliver the next pair of IROSAs (International Space Station Roll Out Solar Arrays). Once installed during upcoming spacewalks, the solar panels will expand the energy-production capabilities of the space station.

The CRS-28 Dragon (C208) previously flew on the CRS-21, CRS-23 and CRS-25 flights. It will return to Earth with research and cargo after spending about four weeks at the space station.

The Falcon 9 first stage (B1077) used to launch the CRS-28 Dragon is making its fifth flight into space. It previously supported the Crew-5, GPS III SV06 and Inmarsat 6-F2 missions, as well as the launch of 56 Starlink satellites. The stage will be recovered by the droneship "A Shortfall of Gravitas" in the Atlantic Ocean.

posted 06-05-2023 12:22 PM               

NASA, SpaceX launch solar arrays, cargo to station

Following a successful launch of NASA's SpaceX 28th commercial resupply services mission, two new solar arrays, science investigations, and supplies are on their way to the International Space Station.

Carrying more than 7,000 pounds of cargo to the orbiting laboratory, the uncrewed SpaceX Dragon spacecraft launched on the company's Falcon 9 rocket at 11:47 a.m. EDT, Monday, June 5, from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The cargo spacecraft is scheduled to autonomously dock with the space-facing port on the station's Harmony module at approximately 5:50 a.m. and remain at the station for about 21 days.

The SpaceX Dragon will deliver a pair of IROSAs (International Space Station Roll Out Solar Arrays) that, once installed, will expand the energy-production capabilities of the microgravity complex.

posted 06-06-2023 08:26 AM               

Dragon docks to space station

SpaceX's CRS-28 Dragon cargo spacecraft autonomously docked to the International Space Station's Harmony module on Tuesday (June 6) at 5:54 a.m. EDT (0954 GMT), as the two spacecraft were traveling approximately 270 miles (435 kilometers) over the coast of Brazil.

NASA astronaut Woody Hoburg monitored the docking operations from inside the space station.

posted 06-29-2023 11:46 AM               

Dragon departs from space station

Following commands from ground controllers at SpaceX, the CRS-28 Dragon undocked from the space-facing port of the International Space Station's Harmony module and fired its thrusters to move a safe distance away at 12:30 p.m. EDT (1630 GMT) on Thursday (June 29).

After re-entering Earth’s atmosphere, the spacecraft will make a parachute-assisted splashdown off the coast of Florida at about 10:30 a.m. EDT (1430 GMT) on Friday.

posted 06-30-2023 09:43 AM               

Dragon splashes down from station

SpaceX's Dragon cargo spacecraft splashed down at 10:30 a.m. EDT (1430 GMT) on Friday (June 30), off the coast of Jacksonville, Florida, marking the return of the company's 28th contracted cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station for NASA. The spacecraft carried approximately 3,600 pounds of valuable scientific experiments and other cargo back to Earth.

Scientific hardware and samples returning on the mission include the GRIP – Dexterous Manipulation in Microgravity chair used in the ESA (European Space Agency)-sponsored neurology experiments GRIP and GRASP (Gravitational References for Sensimotor Performance: Reaching and Grasping). GRIP studied how microgravity affects the manipulation of objects, while GRASP provided further insight into how the central nervous system adapts to the space environment.

The experiments had been on the space station almost six years, and the final in-orbit tests were completed in early 2023.

Samples from BioNutrients-2, Monoclonal Antibodies, and Myotones investigations were also returned to Earth for scientific analysis.