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2nd LD Writethru: Orbital ATK launches 7th cargo resupply mission to space station

Xinhua, April 18, 2017 Adjust font size:

Orbital ATK's unmanned cargo ship blasted off Tuesday for its seventh resupply mission to the International Space Station.

The Cygnus spacecraft, named after former U.S. astronaut John Glenn, took off atop a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket at 11:11 a.m. EDT (1511 GMT) from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

"Liftoff of the Atlas V rocket with Cygnus and the S.S. John Glenn, extending the research legacy for living and working in space," a NASA TV commentator said during a live broadcast.

Glenn was the first American to orbit the Earth. He died last December at age 95.

MORE CARGO

Cygnus is carrying more than 7,600 pounds (3,400 kilograms) of cargo to the orbital laboratory, including crew supplies, hardware, scientific experiments and 38 CubeSats that will be deployed from either the spacecraft or space station in the coming months.

"We are carrying more this time than we have in the past and that's a good step forward for us and for the crew," Frank Culbertson, president of Orbital ATK's Space Systems Group, told reporters during a pre-launch news conference.

"The more research we can carry, the more they can do their job and the more they can show the utility of the International Space Station."

According to the U.S. space agency NASA, the new experiments include an antibody investigation that could increase the effectiveness of chemotherapy drugs for cancer treatment and an advanced plant habitat for studying plant physiology and growth of fresh food in space.

Another new investigation bound for the space station's U.S. National Laboratory will look at using magnetized cells and tools to make it easier to handle cells and cultures, and improve the reproducibility of experiments.

If everything goes well, the spacecraft will arrive at the space station on April 22 and will stay there until July, when it will depart with several tons of trash for a fiery reentry into Earth's atmosphere.

Prior to re-entry, a third and final experiment will be conducted inside the spacecraft to study how fire burns in space. The first two space fire experiments took place during previous Cygnus resupply missions.

360-DEGREE VIEW

Tuesday's launch marked the first time NASA, in coordination with the ULA and Orbital ATK, has broadcast a rocket launch with a 360-degree view.

"Those who own virtual reality headsets will be able to look around and experience the view as if they were actually standing on the launch pad," NASA said in a statement.

"Minimum viewing distance is typically miles away from the launch pad, but the live 360 stream enables viewers to get a pads-eye view."

The launch has been delayed several times over the past month due to hydraulics leaks on the rocket booster and ground support equipment.

"We are sorry we missed Easter," said Culbertson, a former NASA astronaut, "but we're pretty sure they'll be excited about their Easter baskets and whatever great things International Space Station science put on board for them." Endit