LIVE: SpaceX Dragon CRS-1 (SpX-1) RNDZ, Capture, Berthing to ISS & Hatch Opening

[Space Pete]

A shot of Dragon berthed to the ISS as seen from the camera on Soyuz TMA-06M as it approached the ISS for docking earlier today.

[kevin-rf]

That is awesome!

[mr. mark]

Excellent! Great big thanks for the pic at ISS. I've been looking forward to that pic for some time.

[rickl]

That's a great picture.  Dragon, Soyuz, and Progress all in the same frame.

[input~2]

Splashdown zone from navigational warning
(time slot indicated: 281900Z TO 281940Z OCT)

[Lars_J]

Great! This northerly trajectory should give great views of the reentry from the IR observatory at Hawaii, as was done during the C1 mission.

[Dappa]

Great! This northerly trajectory should give great views of the reentry from the IR observatory at Hawaii, as was done during the C1 mission.

That Dragon was flown at an inclination of 34.5 degrees. This one is at 51.6 degrees, which means it won't be anywhere near Hawaii during reentry.

[jacqmans]

PREVIEW: DRAGON'S RELEASE FROM STATION AND RETURN TO EARTH

 

October 26, 2012

SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft is expected to complete the CRS-1 cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station on Sunday, October 28.

In California, SpaceX crew have already headed to the Pacific Ocean splashdown zone to await Dragon’s arrival, while at the station, Expedition 33 crew members are readying Dragon’s return cargo, including biological samples that have been stored in the station’s freezers since the retirement of the space shuttle.

The crew’s first task on Sunday will be to close Dragon’s hatch and depressurize the vestibule between Dragon and the station so that the spacecraft can be released. The spacecraft will then be detached from the space station and eased out to release position by way of the station’s robotic arm.

When the station astronauts are ready, SpaceX gives a go, NASA gives a go, and the crew releases Dragon, expected to take place at approximately 6:25 a.m. PT Sunday.

Dragon then begins a series of thruster firings to carry it away from the space station, closes its GNC door, and begins its deorbit burn. Ready to reenter the atmosphere, Dragon jettisons its trunk and solar arrays, positions itself so that its PICA-X heat shield faces the Earth, and proceeds into the Earth’s atmosphere.

When Dragon reaches 13,700 meters (45,000 feet) above sea level, it will deploy two drogue parachutes to slow its descent. At 3,000 meters (10,000 feet), it will deploy its three main parachutes and drift slowly toward the splashdown site. Splashdown is expected to take place at approximately 12:20 p.m. PT.

After Dragon is secured, the SpaceX team will then place the vehicle on the deck of a 100-foot boat for the journey back to shore. Early-arrival cargo will be delivered to NASA within 48 hours of splashdown. Dragon will then travel from Southern California to SpaceX’s facility in McGregor, Texas, where the remaining cargo will be unloaded, processed, and delivered to NASA.

For real-time updates throughout Dragon’s reentry and splashdown, follow @SpaceX on Twitter and visit www.spacex.com/webcast.

[jacqmans]

MEDIA ADVISORY: M12-207

NASA TV TO AIR LIVE COVERAGE OF DRAGON SPACE STATION DEPARTURE SUNDAY

HOUSTON -- NASA Television will provide live coverage of the release
and departure of SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft from the International
Space Station on Sunday, Oct. 28. Coverage will begin at 6 a.m. CDT
and conclude approximately three hours later after Dragon has left
the vicinity of the orbiting laboratory.

Space station Expedition 33 Commander Sunita Williams and Flight
Engineer Akihiko Hoshide will be at the controls of the space
station's robotic arm as they back Dragon away from the complex.
Dragon is scheduled to be released by the crew at 8:26 a.m. and will
conduct its first departure burn one minute later.

The Dragon capsule has been attached to the station's Harmony module
since Oct. 10. The spacecraft delivered 882 pounds of cargo,
including 260 pounds of crew supplies, 390 pounds of scientific
research, 225 pounds of hardware and several pounds of other
supplies. This included critical materials to support 166 scientific
investigations planned for the station's crew, including 63 new
investigations.

Dragon will return 1,673 pounds of cargo, including 163 pounds of crew
supplies, 866 pounds of scientific research, and 518 pounds of
vehicle hardware and other hardware. Not since the space shuttle has
NASA and its international partners been able to return considerable
amounts of research and samples for analysis.

There will be no live NASA TV coverage of Dragon's reentry and
splashdown, which are scheduled for Sunday afternoon. Mission updates
and images of splashdown will be provided when they become available
on the SpaceX and NASA websites. To join the conversation on Twitter,
follow the hashtags #CRS1 and #Dragon.

For NASA TV downlink, schedule and streaming video information, visit:


http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

For SpaceX's Dragon coverage, visit:

http://www.spacex.com

For information about the International Space Station and Dragon
splashdown information, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/station

[aquarius]

A mission update video from SpaceX:



It also contains some new footage from the C2+ mission, including opening the hatch on the barge for early cargo unload. (@ 1:13)

At 1:39, is it Tim Kopra in the right bottom corner?

[Space Pete]

At 1:39, is it Tim Kopra in the right bottom corner?

Yes, it is.

[Chris Bergin]

Hatch closed on the Dragon.

Will start a new thread for unberthing and entry tonight.

[Avron]

Dragon's Hatch is Closed
At about 11:00AM PT today, Dragon’s hatch was closed. Late tonight, station astronauts will depressurize the spacecraft. At approximately 3:55AM PT tomorrow morning, astronauts will detach the spacecraft from the space station using the station’s robotic arm. Tune in here beginning at 4:00AM PT for live coverage of deberthing and reentry activities.

ref : http://www.spacex.com/webcast/

[Chris Bergin]

Closing the thread. Please refer to the new update thread (FOR UPDATES ONLY):
http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=30190.0