SpaceX launches space station cargo ship

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A time exposure captures the trajectory of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket as it boosted a Dragon cargo ship into orbit for a two-day flight to the International Space Station. SpaceX

A SpaceX cargo ship packed with more than 5,100 pounds of equipment and supplies -- including 20 mice, a 3D printer, an environmental sensor to measure ocean winds and even an experiment that could lead to better golf clubs -- blasted off early Sunday on a two-day flight to the International Space Station.

Running a day late because of stormy weather Saturday, the 208-foot-tall Falcon 9 rocket roared to life at 1:52 a.m. EDT (GMT-4) and quickly climbed away from launch complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, arcing away to the northeast directly into the plane of the space station's orbit.

The Falcon's nine Merlin 1D first stage engines appeared to perform smoothly, generating 1.3 million pounds of thrust to boost the rocket and its payload out of the dense lower atmosphere.

The first stage fell away just under three minutes after liftoff and the rocket's second stage, powered by a single Merlin engine, ignited to complete the trip to orbit.

The Dragon cargo ship was released into an initially elliptical orbit with a high point, or apogee, of about 224 miles and a low point, or perigee, of around 124 miles. A few moments later, the capsule's two solar arrays unfolded and locked in place.

"Nothing like a good launch," said Hans Koenigsmann, SpaceX vice president of mission assurance. "It's just fantastic. We worked very hard yesterday, and the weather wasn't quite playing along. Today it was beautiful, the weather cleared up in time, the rain dissipated and from what I can tell at first glance, everything was really perfect."

He said the Dragon capsule's thrusters were working normally and "from the SpaceX team, everybody's really happy, everybody's delighted. There's going to be a party!"

If all goes well, the Dragon's flight computer will carry out a carefully timed sequence of rocket firings over the next two days to catch up with the station in its roughly circular 260-mile-high orbit, pulling up to a point about 30 feet from the lab complex early Tuesday.

At that point, the capsule will go into stationkeeping mode and the lab's robot arm, operated by European Space Agency astronaut Alexander Gerst, will lock onto a grapple fixture to complete the rendezvous. The arm then will pull the Dragon in for berthing at the Earth-facing port of the forward Harmony module.

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SpaceX launches space station cargo ship

Cargo ship with 3-D printer bound for space station – NASA's Maven explorer arriving at Mars after year

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Published September 21, 2014

September 21, 2014: In this framegrab provided by NASA, the SpaceX cargo ship lifts off, rocketing toward the International Space Station. (AP Photo/NASA TV)

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. A SpaceX cargo ship rocketed toward the International Space Station on Sunday, carrying the first 3-D printer for astronauts in orbit.

In all, the unmanned Dragon capsule is delivering more than 5,000 pounds of space station supplies for NASA.

Dragon should reach the space station Tuesday. It's the fifth station shipment for the California-based SpaceX, one of two new commercial winners in the race to start launching Americans again from home soil.

The space station was soaring over the South Pacific when the SpaceX Falcon 9 thundered into Florida's pre-dawn sky. Sunday's weather was ideal for flying, unlike Saturday, when rain forced a delay. The rocket was visible for nearly three minutes as it sped out over the Atlantic, with the Orion constellation as a backdrop.

"What a beautiful morning it was," said Sam Scimemi, NASA's space station division director.

Sunday was a red-letter day for NASA in more ways than one.

Besides the flawless launch, the space agency's Maven spacecraft was on the verge of reaching Mars. The robotic explorer was scheduled to go into orbit around Mars late Sunday night.

The space station-bound 3-D printer was developed by Made in Space, another California company. It's sturdier than Earthly models to withstand the stresses of launch, and meets NASA's strict safety standards. The space agency envisions astronauts one day cranking out spare parts as needed. For now, it's a technology demonstrator, with a bigger and better model to follow next year.

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Cargo ship with 3-D printer bound for space station - NASA's Maven explorer arriving at Mars after year

International Space Station Fast Facts and Timeline

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(CNN) Heres a look at what you need to know about the International Space Station (ISS), a spacecraft built by a partnership of 16 nations.

The 16 nations are the United States, Canada, Japan, Russia, Brazil, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

At full capacity, the almost one-million-pound space station will include six laboratories and provide more research space than any spacecraft ever built. There will be enough living space for a crew of seven.

The ISS includes three main modules connected by nodes: the U.S. Laboratory Module Destiny, the European Research Laboratory Columbus, and the Japanese Experiment Module Kibo (Hope). Each was launched separately and connected in space by astronauts.

The ISS weighs 924,739 lbs (419,456 kilograms)

Habitable Volume: 13,696 cubic feet (388 cubic meters)

Solar Array Length: 239.4 feet (73 meters)

There have been 180 spacewalks conducted in support of space station assembly, totaling almost 1,130 hours.

The space station has been visited by 214 individuals.

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International Space Station Fast Facts and Timeline

Astronauts to get 3-D printer at space station

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MARCIA DUNN, The Associated Press Published Saturday, September 20, 2014 11:07AM EDT Last Updated Sunday, September 21, 2014 10:05AM EDT

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A SpaceX cargo ship rocketed toward the International Space Station on Sunday, carrying the first 3-D printer for astronauts in orbit.

In all, the unmanned Dragon capsule is delivering more than 5,000 pounds of space station supplies for NASA.

Dragon should reach the space station Tuesday. It's the fifth station shipment for the California-based SpaceX, one of two new commercial winners in the race to start launching Americans again from home soil.

The space station was soaring over the South Pacific when the SpaceX Falcon 9 thundered into Florida's pre-dawn sky. Sunday's weather was ideal for flying, unlike Saturday, when rain forced a delay. The rocket was visible for nearly three minutes as it sped out over the Atlantic.

Sunday was a red-letter day for NASA in more ways than one.

Besides the flawless launch, the space agency's Maven spacecraft was on the verge of reaching Mars. The robotic explorer was scheduled to go into orbit around Mars late Sunday night.

The space station-bound 3-D printer was developed by Made in Space, another California company. It's sturdier than Earthly models to withstand the stresses of launch, and meets NASA's strict safety standards. The space agency envisions astronauts one day cranking out spare parts as needed. For now, it's a technology demonstrator, with a bigger and better model to follow next year.

A $30 million device for measuring ocean winds is also flying up on Dragon, along with 20 mice and 30 fruit flies for biological research and metal samples for a golf club manufacturer looking to improve its products.

Much-needed spacesuit batteries are on board as well, along with the usual stash of food, clothes and electronic gear. Routine U.S. spacewalks were put on hold following last year's close call with an astronaut's flooded helmet. That problem was solved, then the battery fuses were called into question. NASA hopes to resume spacewalks next month.

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Astronauts to get 3-D printer at space station

SpaceX launches 3-D printer, other station gear

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CAPE CANAVERAL --

In all, the unmanned Dragon capsule is delivering more than 5,000 pounds of space station supplies for NASA.

Dragon should reach the space station Tuesday. It's the fifth station shipment for the California-based SpaceX, one of two new commercial winners in the race to start launching Americans again from home soil.

The space station was soaring over the South Pacific when the SpaceX Falcon 9 thundered into Florida's pre-dawn sky. Sunday's weather was ideal for flying, unlike Saturday, when rain forced a delay. The rocket was visible for nearly three minutes as it sped out over the Atlantic, with the Orion constellation as a backdrop.

"What a beautiful morning it was," said Sam Scimemi, NASA's space station division director.

Sunday was a red-letter day for NASA in more ways than one.

Besides the flawless launch, the space agency's Maven spacecraft was on the verge of reaching Mars. The robotic explorer was scheduled to go into orbit around Mars late Sunday night.

The space station-bound 3-D printer was developed by Made in Space, another California company. It's sturdier than Earthly models to withstand the stresses of launch, and meets NASA's strict safety standards. The space agency envisions astronauts one day cranking out spare parts as needed. For now, it's a technology demonstrator, with a bigger and better model to follow next year.

A $30 million device for measuring ocean winds is also flying up on Dragon, along with 20 mice and 30 fruit flies for biological research and metal samples for a golf club manufacturer looking to improve its products.

Much-needed spacesuit batteries are on board as well, along with the usual stash of food, clothes and electronic gear. Routine U.S. spacewalks were put on hold following last year's close call with an astronaut's flooded helmet. That problem was solved, then the battery fuses were called into question. NASA hopes to resume spacewalks next month.

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SpaceX launches 3-D printer, other station gear

Christian Vazquezs Emergence Lightens Red Soxs Full Offseason Plate

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Catcher Christian Vazquez has been as advertised since earning his first major league call-up back on July 9. The Red Sox, who were forced to look for Jarrod Saltalamacchias replacement last offseason, will enter this winter knowing they have a backstop capable of being the Opening Day starter, which lightens the load for an organization that must make several key moves to return to contention in 2015.

I think hes ready and capable of handling that (starting) role, Red Sox manager John Farrell said before Fridays game against the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards. I think what will be as important is who is paired up with him. Thats not to eliminate anyone thats here. Thats not to suggest who that might be.

Christian, I think, in short order, has gained a reputation around the league to be somewhat of a shutdown thrower with the aggressiveness of his picks, of his throws to bags. Like we said, hes a focal point for a team, when theyre on offense, to have to contend with behind the plate.

Vazquezs defensive prowess is well-documented. He turned heads in spring training in both 2013 and 2014 through his shutdown ability, showcasing an array of skills rocket arm, tremendous footwork and quick release that were enough for some to question whether signing veteran catcher A.J. Pierzynski to a one-year contract in free agency was even necessary.

The question with Vazquez, of course, was whether hed produce enough offensively. While a catcher can succeed in the majors with a defensive-centric skill set, theres still a certain level of offensive production thats to be expected. Vazquez needed to prove he was up to the challenge before the Red Sox handed the keys to the former ninth-round pick from Puerto Rico.

Vazquez showed improvement in the minors first with Double-A Portland, then with Triple-A Pawtucket over the last two years to the point where Boston was comfortable cutting ties with Pierzynski, who simply didnt fit in on the field or off the field. The 24-year-old has endured some offensive struggles since joining the Red Sox hitting .211 (34-for-161) with a .272 on-base percentage in 49 games but he doesnt look overwhelmed, by any means.

Setting aside the batting average, theres the ability to handle a bat, Farrell said. He can execute the small game. He can hit to the situation. Hes a very good situational hitter, including being able to sacrifice with great consistency.

I would say hes one of the more complete hitters that has come to us, setting aside the batting average.

Of course, Vazquezs major league success will be predicated on controlling the running game, handling a pitching staff and making necessary in-game adjustments with whoever is toeing the rubber. He has excelled in all of those areas since joining the Red Sox a call-up that kick-started Bostons youth movement and his continued growth offensively has given the club reason to believe he could be the guy in 2015.

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Christian Vazquezs Emergence Lightens Red Soxs Full Offseason Plate

NASA – The Red Planet: Exploring Mars’ Atmosphere & Climate Change – Video

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NASA - The Red Planet: Exploring Mars #39; Atmosphere Climate Change
The Martian surface bears ample evidence of flowing water in its youth, from crater lakes and riverbeds to minerals that only form in water. But today Mars is cold and dry, and scientists think...

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NASA - The Red Planet: Exploring Mars' Atmosphere & Climate Change - Video

‘Sniffing’ Mars’ Atmosphere Like Never Before – NASA GSFC Chief Scientist Explains – Video

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#39;Sniffing #39; Mars #39; Atmosphere Like Never Before - NASA GSFC Chief Scientist Explains
NASA #39;s Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) mission will take measurements with its Neutral Gas and Ion Mass Spectrometer (NGIMS) that have never been collected before. Dr. James...

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'Sniffing' Mars' Atmosphere Like Never Before - NASA GSFC Chief Scientist Explains - Video

Giant UFOs near the Sun and anomalies in the official NASA photos – September 20, 2014 – Video

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Giant UFOs near the Sun and anomalies in the official NASA photos - September 20, 2014
Unexplained anomalies in the picture LASCO C2, C3. If you can help this channel, make a donation: PayPal: snezhinsk2@gmail.com, Bitcoin: 1NVRhPGevn9xKv6CPTPKYCW2nJHeHx4DCy ,QIWI +79634634004,...

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Giant UFOs near the Sun and anomalies in the official NASA photos - September 20, 2014 - Video

NASA's MAVEN set to enter Mars' orbit Sunday night

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A NASA spacecraft built to study the atmosphere of Mars like never before will arrive at the Red Planet tonight (Sept. 21) and you canwatchit live online.

After 10 months in deep-space, NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) spacecraft is expected toenter orbit around Marsand begin a one-year mission studying the planet's upper atmosphere. The Mars arrival will cap a 442 million-mile (711 million kilometers) trek across the solar system.

You canwatch the MAVEN spacecraft arrive at Marson Space.com, courtesy of NASA TV, in a live webcast that runs from 9:30 p.m. to 10:45 p.m. EDT (0130 to 0245 GMT). If all goes well, MAVEN will enter orbit around Mars at 9:50 p.m. EDT (0250 GMT), according to NASA officials.

"So far, so good with the performance of the spacecraft and payloads on the cruise to Mars," David Mitchell, NASA's MAVEN project manager at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland,said in a statement. "Theteam, the flight system, and all ground assets are ready for Mars orbit insertion."

The $671 million MAVEN spacecraft eight instruments to study the Martian atmosphere in detail. It is one of two missions that launched toward Mars last November and are making theirarrival this month. The other probe isIndia's Mars Orbiter Mission, which launched just before MAVEN and will arrive at the Red Planet on Wednesday (Sept. 24).

Mars' upper atmosphere is an escape zone for molecules floating dozens of miles from the planet's surface. Scientists think that, as the solar wind hits the atmosphere, the radiation strips away the lighter molecules and flings them into space forever. [NASA's MAVEN Spacecraft: 10 Surprising Facts]

"The MAVEN science mission focuses on answering questions about where did the water that was present on early Mars go, about where did the carbon dioxide go," said Bruce Jakosky, the mission's principal investigator at the University of Colorado, Boulder's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics. "These are important questions for understanding the history of Mars, its climate, and its potential to support at least microbial life."

Bougher is interested in studying the speed at which ions (charged atoms) and neutral gases leave the atmosphere of Mars. This process could change with solar activity, and also as dust storms sweep the planet's surface. MAVEN will arrive just as the Martian storm season begins, Bougher said.

"If we are so fortunate as to get a global dust storm or a reasonable dust storm, the lower atmosphere will inflate like a balloon, and the upper atmosphere will inflate on top of that," he said. "The processes have not been studied well before."

Jakosky, MAVEN's lead researcher, is examining how stable isotopes (element types) of hydrogen and its heavier version, deuterium, changed over time. In theory, as the solar wind hit the Red Planet's atmosphere, the lighter hydrogen in the atmosphere should have been stripped away and decreased proportionally near Mars.

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NASA's MAVEN set to enter Mars' orbit Sunday night

NASA picks 25 to live tweet MAVEN event from mission HQ in Colorado

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Ryan Ziolko in Firing Room 4 of the Launch Control Center at Kennedy Space Center, from where the Space Shuttle launches were controlled. (Courtesy Ryan Ziolko)

As NASA's Mars MAVEN enters orbit around the Red Planet on Sunday, a select group of everyday folks will take on a very special mission: To tell the MAVEN story over social media.

NASA Social events, which launched in 2008 under the moniker NASA Tweetup, gather people to live tweet or otherwise socially share a launch, landing or other NASA experience while rubbing shoulders with the scientists and astronauts who make it all happen.

"It allows people to get behind the walls where most of the time the general public can't go," NASA social media manager John Yembrick said. "It gives people that personal experience behind the scenes and helps tell the story."

Donna Fasano of Denver snapped this photo when she learned she had been chosen to be part of the NASA Social event. "I had the biggest grin. It was permagrin. It was cheek-splitting grin. I did a happy dance. I called everybody," she said. (Courtesy Donna Fasano)

On Sunday, 25 people selected from across the U.S. by NASA's social media team will gather at the University of Colorado at Boulder's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics , to meet the scientists responsible for MAVEN's science operations.

They'll then go to MAVEN's Flight Operations Center at Lockheed Martin Space Systems in Littleton, where they'll see spacecraft under development and watch MAVEN enter Mars' orbit.

And, of course, they'll be tweeting, Facebooking and Instagramming the entire time for the world to see.

Participants are vetted by NASA's social media team, but they aren't all necessarily space nerds. They do have one thing in common, however their dedication, said Aries Keck (@Aries), NASA social team member.

"They might be a musician from Brooklyn, but they will know the (spacecraft's) exact deacceleration rate better than I will because they're just so into it."

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NASA picks 25 to live tweet MAVEN event from mission HQ in Colorado