Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus XL spacecraft, launched last Monday, September 15, has just reached the International Space Station and was captured by the Canadarm2 robotic arm. Astronaut Jonny Kim, assisted by his colleague Zena Cardman, will soon begin the slow maneuver to move the Cygnus until it docks with the Station’s Unity module after about two hours.
A few hours ago, Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus XL spacecraft blasted off atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral on its NG-23 or CRS NG-23 mission. After about 15 minutes, it successfully separated from the rocket’s last stage and set on its course. This is the third resupply mission to the International Space Station with various payloads launched using the Falcon 9 rocket while waiting for the new version of Northrop Grumman’s Antares rocket to be ready. It’s also the first to see the use of the new version of the Cygnus cargo spacecraft.
An article published in the journal “Nature” reports the results of the analysis of data collected by NASA’s Mars Rover Perseverance on the rock nicknamed Cheyava Falls. Perseverance found it in 2024 in the Neretva Valley during its journey within the Jezero Crater on Mars. The rock immediately attracted great interest because it contains chemical signatures and structures that could have been generated by ancient Martian life forms.
A team of researchers confirmed the exciting results presented last year and concluded that these are potential biosignatures. This means they provide clues to the possible presence of Martian life forms in the past, but further studies are needed to obtain definitive answers. In fact, the presence of organic compounds and iron minerals such as vivianite and greigite could also be due to abiotic reactions.
A little while ago, SpaceX’s Dragon 2 spacecraft docked with the International Space Station’s Harmony module completing the first part of its CRS-33 mission. Astronaut Mike Fincke and his colleague Jonny Kim monitored the operation but the cargo spacecraft, which blasted off about 28 hours earlier, completed the maneuvers automatically without any problem.
A little while ago, the SpaceX Dragon 2 spacecraft blasted off atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral in its CRS-33 (Cargo Resupply Service 33) mission, also referred to as SPX-33. After almost 12 minutes, it separated successfully from the rocket’s last stage and went en route. This is the 33rd mission for the Dragon/Dragon 2 spacecraft to resupply the International Space Station with various cargoes and then return to Earth, again with various cargoes.
