Cygnus Spacecraft Secured at the Space Station

The International Space Station’s crew welcomed Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus cargo resupply ship Thursday morning. The spacecraft’s arrival brings more than 8,200 pounds (3,720 kg) of science experiments, crew supplies, and hardware for a future spacewalk (plus an order of pizza).

NASA astronaut Megan McArthur used the space station’s robotic Canadarm2 to capture Cygnus upon its arrival early Thursday morning, while ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Thomas Pesquet monitored telemetry during rendezvous, capture, and installation on the Earth-facing port of the Unity module. 

The Cygnus spacecraft—named the SS Ellison Onizuka, after the first Asian-American astronaut—launched on an Antares rocket from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia on Tuesday. It will remain at the station for the next three months.  

Attributes of an Asteroid – Researchers using data from our OSIRIS-REx mission just gained a lot more information about asteroid Bennu’s future trajectory—including a close flyby with Earth in the year 2132.

Back to School – As students across the country say goodbye to the summer and the new school year kicks off, NASA is gearing up to help teachers and parents engage students in exciting activities, science experiments, virtual field trips, and more.

Studying the Rising Seas – A new visualization tool provided by NASA’s Sea Level Change Team using data from  the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change gives users the ability to see what sea levels may look like at various areas on Earth over the next several decades. 

Responding to Hurricanes – After last year’s historic hurricane season devastated countries in Central America, NASA Earth science data is being used to help prepare countries for disasters to come. Discover how experts are taking a global view for regional resilience.

Celebrating a Legend – In honor of what would have been the 100th birthday of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, we’re airing a special panel featuring NASA talent and actor George Takei. “Celebrating Gene Roddenberry: The Bridge and NASA” will air Aug. 19 at 2 p.m. EDT on NASA TV, the agency’s website, and our social channels. 

Preparing for Artemis I– Teams have installed the flight software that will help steer, fly, track, and guide the Space Launch System rocket during launch and ascent to space for our upcoming Artemis I mission to the Moon. 

A meteor streaks across the sky during the annual Perseid meteor shower, as seen from Spruce Knob, West Virginia, earlier this week.