SpaceX Dragon cargo launch no earlier than May 3

NASA A has requested SpaceX move off from May 1 for the launch of the company's 17th commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station.

On April 29, the space station team identified an issue with one of the station's Main Bus Switching Units that distributes power to two of the eight power channels on the station. There are no immediate concerns for the crew or the station. Teams are working on a plan to robotically replace the failed unit and restore full power to the station system. Additional information will be provided as it becomes available. The earliest possible launch opportunity is no earlier than Friday, May 3.

Meanwhile, the Expedition 59 crew explored a wide variety of microgravity science today including human research, robotics and space manufacturing techniques.

Flight Engineer David Saint-Jacques jotted down his impressions of space life in a private journal this morning for the Behavioral Core Measures study. Later he installed new incubator hardware inside the Space Automated Bioproduct Lab for the Kidney Cells experiment that seeks innovative treatments for humans on Earth and in space.

Astrobee, a new free-flying robotic assistant, is being readied for testing today inside Japan's Kibo lab module. NASA astronaut Anne McClain inspected and checked out the cube-shaped mini-robot's components then activated the device to perform a flyaround. Astrobee could save the crew time performing routine maintenance duties and providing additional lab monitoring capabilities.

Engineers are also testing the feasibility of producing fiber optic cable in space. Microgravity reveals physical processes hidden by Earth's gravity that may prove the superiority of space manufacturing. Flight Engineer Christina Koch contributed to that study today working on fiber samples in the Microgravity Science Glovebox that will be examined back on Earth for quality.

Related Links
International Space Station.
Rocket Science News at Space-Travel.Com

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SpaceX, NASA tight-lipped on cause of crew capsule incident
Washington (AFP) April 25, 2019
NASA and SpaceX remained tight-lipped Thursday about what caused a mysterious but apparently serious incident last weekend during engine tests on the Crew Dragon capsule designed to carry US astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) later this year. SpaceX said that an "anomaly" had occurred during Saturday's ground tests at Cape Canaveral in Florida. A photo on the Florida Today website showed large amounts of smoke pouring out of the test site, prompting speculation about a possible ... read more