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NASA Orbital ATK’s Antares rocket is scheduled to lift off at 7:40 p.m. EDT today

NASA Orbital ATK’s Antares rocket is scheduled to lift off at 7:40 p.m. EDT today to the International Space Station. This cargo resupply mission will deliver over 5,100 pounds of science, research and supplies to the orbiting laboratory and its crew.

Since then, the Antares has gone through an extensive upgrade, as the vehicle’s main engines have been replaced. Now, Orbital is finally ready to get back to launching the Antares to the International Space Station for NASA.

Situated on top of the Antares is Orbital’s Cygnus cargo capsule, filled with food, supplies, and science experiments for the crew of the ISS. Ironically, many of its experiments revolve around the study of fire and combustion in space. The Cool Flames experiment, for instance, will look at fires that burn at low temperatures in microgravity — research that could help engineers develop new space propulsion systems. And the Cygnus will be carrying the second Saffire experiment, a project that will study how nine different materials catch and spread fire in space.

The flight was originally supposed to take place on Sunday, but NASA delayed the launch after ground support cable didn't work like it was supposed to. Orbital had spare cables, though, and was reworking the issue yesterday.


More: http://go.nasa.gov/2ekBM0f


source: NASA


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