File photo of a Dragon supply ship berthed at the International Space Station. Credit: NASA <\/p>\n
The 10th dedicated cargo delivery mission by SpaceXs Dragon spacecraft, and the first to liftoff from launch pad 39A at NASAs Kennedy Space Center, will carry more than 5,000 pounds of equipment to the International Space Station. <\/p>\n
The spacecraft is set for launch no earlier than Saturday, Feb. 18, and should reach the space station Monday, Feb. 20. A Falcon 9 rocket will send the Dragon cargo carrier into orbit for the two-day transit to the research outpost. <\/p>\n
SpaceX has launched nine resupply missions to the space station to date, including one cargo capsule lost in a launch failure. One more Dragon spacecraft flew to the space station in May 2012 on a demonstration mission. <\/p>\n
In addition to more than 3,000 pounds of cargo inside Dragons pressurized cabin, the spacecrafts external trunk is packed with two experiment packages to be mounted outside the space station by the robotic arm. <\/p>\n
One of the instruments, NASAsStratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment 3, will study ozone and aerosol tiny particles in the atmosphere from an observing post on one of the space stations external payload platforms. <\/p>\n
Another unpressurized payload is sponsored by the U.S. militarys Space Test Program, hosting a suite of 13 experiments for the Defense Department and NASA. <\/p>\n
Among STP-H5s investigations: NASAs Raven autonomous space navigation demonstration designed to support future satellite servicing missions, NASAs Lightning Imaging Sensor, NASAs SpaceCube-Mini miniaturized computer processor, the Air Forces Spacecraft Structural Health Monitoring payload to capture how fasteners, glue and mechanical parts respond to the harsh environment of space, the Air ForcesRadiation Hardened Electronic Memory Experiment, and two Naval Research Laboratory payloads intended to study the structure, composition and density of the upper atmosphere and ionosphere. <\/p>\n
NASA has provided a breakdown of the cargo manifest listed below. <\/p>\n
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Follow Stephen Clark on Twitter: @StephenClark1. <\/p>\n
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Read more from the original source: <\/p>\n
Cargo manifest for SpaceX's 10th space station resupply mission - Spaceflight Now<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" File photo of a Dragon supply ship berthed at the International Space Station. Continue reading