No rest for the rocketry as NASA’s Easter weekend heats up
The US Space Agency is gearing up for a busy Easter weekend as three International Space Station (ISS) residents prepare to return home and a crucial SpaceX Dragon cargo mission is set for launch. NASA astronaut Don Pettit and cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner are scheduled to undock from the ISS on Saturday, April 19, at 17:57 EDT, and return to Earth in Kazakhstan. Meanwhile, the launch of the SpaceX Dragon on Monday is critical due to recent damage to a Northrop Grumman freighter, necessitating a careful reallocation of supplies for the ISS.
Key Points
- Nasa has a jam-packed Easter weekend with crewed spaceflight and resupply missions.
- The outgoing crew includes NASA’s Don Pettit and cosmonauts from Russia returning after seven months in space.
- A SpaceX Dragon mission is crucial for providing supplies to the ISS, especially after damage to another cargo freighter.
- Should the Dragon fail, NASA is considering reducing the ISS crew size.
- Current resupply missions are critical for conducting ongoing scientific experiments on the ISS.
Why should I read this?
If you’re into space exploration and the latest from NASA, this article dives into what’s going on this Easter weekend. With a mix of returning astronauts and an essential cargo launch, it highlights how critical these missions are for ongoing research and the challenges that space agency faces. Plus, who needs chocolate eggs when there’s rocket science in action?