>> GOOD AFTERNOON.
I'M FROM NASA OFFICE OF
COMMUNICATIONS.
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US FOR
TODAY'S PRELAUNCH NEWS
CONFERENCE FOR NORTHROP GRUMMAN.
IT'S TARGETED FOR LIFTOFF ON
TUESDAY AUGUST 10 FROM THE
MID-ATLANTIC REGIONAL PAD 0A ON
WALLACE ISLAND.
FIVE MINUTE LAUNCH WINDOW WILL
OPEN AT APPROXIMATELY 5:56 P.M.
EASTERN TIME.
NORTHROP GRUMMAN IS SCHEDULED TO
DELIVER 8200 POUNDS OF CARGO.
INCLUDING CRITICAL SUPPLIES TO
SUPPORT DOZENS OF MORE THAN 250
SCIENCE AND RESEARCH
INVESTIGATION THAT WILL OCCUR
DURING EXPEDITION 65.
HERE TO SPEAK WITH US TODAY
ABOUT TOMORROW'S LAUNCH ARE THE
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION
PROGRAM MANAGER, CHIEF
SCIENTISTS FOR THE INTERNATIONAL
SPACE STATION PROGRAM, VICE
PRESIDENT AND GENERAL MANAGER
FOR TACTICAL SPACE SYSTEM AT
NORTHROP GRUMMAN, DIRECTOR SPACE
LAUNCH PROGRAM AT NORTHROP
GRUMMAN.
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.
OUR SPEAKERS WILL PROVIDE
OPENING REMARKS THEN WE'LL MOVE
TO QUESTIONS.
YOU CAN USE THE HASH TASH ASK
NASA.
>> THANK YOU, STEPHANIE.
WELCOME AGAIN TO TODAY'S PRESS
BRIEF.
THERE'S AN A LOT OF WORK THAT'S
BEEN DONE BY A LOT OF PEOPLE.
I WANT TO THANK THE NORTHROP
GRUMMAN TEAM, NASA WALLOP TEAM.
LAUNCHING A ROCKET A DIFFICULT
TASK.
THESE GUYS DO IT IN AN
OUTSTANDING WAY, JUST A HUGE
THANKS TO THEM.
THERE'S BEEN A NUMBER OF
MEETINGS AND PREPARATION FOR
THIS MISSION.
WITH CONCLUSION OF THE LAUNCH
READINESS REVIEW EARLIER TODAY,
THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION
IS READY FOR THIS MISSION.
AS STEPHANIE SAID, THE LAUNCH
TIME IS JUST BEFORE 6:00 P.M.
EASTERN TIME TOMORROW.
THAT SETS UP CAPTURE EARLY
THURSDAY MORNING.
APPROXIMATELY 6:00 A.M. JUST
AFTER 6:00 A.M. EASTERN TIME
THURSDAY MORNING.
WE'LL HAVE SOME ACTIVITIES AND
THEN WE'LL HAVE THE BIRTHING OF
THE VEHICLE WHERE HE ATTACH THE
CYGNUS TO THE INTERNATIONAL
SPACE STATION.
THEN HATCH OPENING LITTLE LATER.
GOOD TIMING ESTIMATE IS ABOUT
EIGHT HOURS FROM THE TIME OF
CAPTURE UNTIL THE HATCH IS OPEN
BY THE CREW.
WE'RE EXCITED FOR THIS MISSION.
WE'VE BEEN TALKING TO THE CREW,
GIVING THEM NORMAL UPDATES AND
MULTIPLE UPDATES AS WE PREPARE
AND MOVE CLOSER TO THE LAUNCH.
THEY ARE READY TO GO AND
EXCITED.
CARRIED 82-POUND OF CAR --
8200 POUNDS OF CARGO TO THE
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION.
THE VEHICLE WILL STAY FOR
APPROXIMATELY THREE MONTHS
ATTACHED TO THE INTERNATIONAL
SPACE STATION.
MISSIONS ARE CRITICAL TO OUR
SUCCESS.
WE'RE A PROUD PARTNER, WE'RE
PROUD TO BE PARTNERING WITH THE
NORTHROP GRUMMAN TEAM.
WE'RE ABLE TO USE THE SEVEN CREW
MEMBERS ON BOARD IN ORDER TO USE
THEM TO MAXIMIZE UTILIZATION OF
RESEARCH WE DO, TO MAXIMIZE
COMMERCIALIZATION AND MAXIMIZE
THE TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT WE DO
ON BOARD INTERNATIONAL SPACE
STATION TO SUPPORT OUR
EXPLORATION EFFORTS.
HUGE THANKS TO THE TEAM.
WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO AN
AWESOME LAUNCH TOMORROW.
I'LL TURN IT OVER TO THE
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION
CHIEF SCIENTISTS.
THANK YOU.
>> THANK YOU, JOEL.
IT'S GREAT TO BE HERE TODAY.
FIRST OFF I WANT TO WISH HAPPY
MOUNTAIN DAY TO OUR CREW MEMBERS
ON BOARD FOR GETTING NEEDED
BREAK FROM THEIR ACTIVITY IN
PREPARATION FOR THIS LAUNCH.
WHY DO WE DO RESEARCH ON THE
ISS?
THE MICROGRAVITY ENVIRONMENT OF
ISS IS FOR BIOLOGICAL AND
PHYSICAL SCIENCES.
IT'S THERE TO HELP US DO
EXPLORATION RELATED TECHNOLOGY
DEVELOPMENT.
IT HELPS US DO RESEARCH THAT
REALLY IS MEANT TO BENEFIT
PEOPLE HERE ON EARTH BY USING
THAT UNIQUE ENVIRONMENT THAT WE
HAVE ON BOARD.
FINALLY, IT'S A GREAT
OPPORTUNITY TO CONDUCT SOME STEM
EXPERIMENT AND INTERNATIONAL
COLLABORATION.
WE'LL BE TALKING ABOUT A NUMBER
OF THESE INVESTIGATIONS IN THE
NEXT FEW MINUTES.
FIRST UP, TWO INVESTIGATIONS
THAT ARE LOOKING AT HUMUSLY
CELLS -- HUMAN MUSCLE CELLS.
INVESTIGATORS FROM THE PALO ALTO
VETERANS INSTITUTION RESEARCH
ARE INTERESTED IN LOOKING AT
HUMAN MUSCLE CELLS, MUSCLE
TISSUE, ENGINEERED ON ORBIT AND
WHETHER OR NOT IT WILL BE A GOOD
MODEL TO TEST AND TEST TREATMENT
FOR IT.
THESE INVESTIGATORS ARE FLYING
AN INVESTIGATION CALLED CARDINAL
MUSCLE.
I BELIEVE WE HAVE SOME SLIDES.
THE CARDINAL MUSCLE
INVESTIGATION IS GOING TO LOOK
AT MUSCLE TISSUE GROWN IN
SCAFFOLD ON ORBIT.
THEN LOOK AT IT UNDER VARIOUS
TREATMENTS.
FIRST TO IDENTIFY WHETHER OR NOT
THE MUSCLE GROWN IN SPACE IS A
GOOD MODEL FOR TESTING VARIOUS
DRUGS AND TREATMENTS HERE ON
EARTH.
DO WE HAVE THE SLIDES?
LOOKS LIKE WE'RE HAVING
TECHNICAL DIFFICULT WITH THE
SLIDE.
THE OBJECTIVE IS TO UNDERSTAND
WHETHER THE DEGENERATIVE MUSCLE
LOSS WE SAW IN CREW MEMBERS IS A
GOOD MODEL FOR DISEASE THAT
TAKES MANY YEARS TO DEVELOP HERE
ON EARTH.
THIS CAN ALLOW FOR ACCELERATED
TESTING IN THE MICROGRAVITY
ENVIRONMENT.
THE NEXT INVESTIGATION IS FLOWN
BY ONE OUR INTERNATIONAL
PARTNERS.
JAXA IS FLYING THE RESEARCH.
THAT IS LOOKING AT MUSCLE CELLS
AND TWO TREATMENT.
ONE ATROPHY INHIBITOR CALLED C14
AND THEN ANOTHER CALLED
CELESTEROL THIS A MUSCLE GROWTH
ACCELERATOR.
THEY WILL BE APPLIED TO MUSCLE
CELLS TO SEE IF THEY HAVE AN
EFFECT.
THIS COULD BE A REAL BOOM FOR
OUR ASTRONAUTS.
WE CAN COMBAT LOT OF THE MUSCLE
DEGRADATION WE SEE.
THESE TREATMENTS IF DEVELOPED
AND PROVEN SUCCESSFUL, WOULD BE
ABLE TO HELP US CUT BACK SOME OF
THAT OVERALL TIME THAT WE
DEDICATE TO EXERCISE ON BOARD.
NEXT UP WE HAVE AN INVESTIGATION
CALLED BLOB.
BLOB COMES TO US FROM
COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE FRENCH
BASED AGENCY AND ESA.
THEY ARE FLYING THE BLOB
ORGANISM.
THIS ORGANISM IS RELATED TO THE
AMOEBAS HERE ON EARTH.
IT'S DONE IN COLLABORATION WITH
STEM SCHOOL CHILDREN THROUGHOUT
FRANCE AND THE EUROPEAN UNION.
THEY WILL BE LOOKING AT BEHAVIOR
IN MICROGRAVITY ENVIRONMENT.
NEXT UP WE'LL TALK ABOUT SLOW
BOILING AND CONDENSE.
IT'S BEING FLOWN OUT OF THE
GLENN RESEARCH CENTER.
WILL BE USED TO CONDUCT RESEARCH
INTO TWO PHASE BOILING AND
CONDENSATION ON ORBIT.
THIS RESEARCH IS IMPORTANT FOR
US TO UNDERSTAND THESE PROCESSES
IN THE MICROGRAVITY ENVIRONMENT.
THESE CAN ALLOW US TO EXPLORE
NEW PROPULSION TECHNOLOGIES AND
ALSO OUR HEAT EXCHANGE SYSTEM
MAKING THEM EFFICIENT ENOUGH TO
OPERATE BOTH IN GRAVITY AND IN
ULTRA GRAVITY SITUATION.
TODAY WE'LL I-TEAM OF TALK ABOUT
THE RED WIRE PRINT
INVESTIGATION.
THIS INVESTIGATION IS REACH
BEING TO LOOK INTO THE
CAPABILITY TO PRINT STRUCTURES
AND MATERIALS USING A 3D
PRINTERS THAT USES A LUNAR
MATERIAL THAT'S A MATERIAL THAT
PROXIMATES WHAT THE LUNAR
REGULARS IS.
IT'S PRINTED ON ORBIT USING TWO
DIFFERENT BINDERS.
ONE IS A LOW TEMPERATURE BINDERS
THAT ALLOW US TO LOOK AT THE
PROCESS IN MODERATE TEMPERATURE
AREAS OF THE LUNAR SURFACE AND
ANOTHER THAT IS A HIGH
TEMPERATURE BINDER THAT ALLOW US
TO LOOK AT THESE TERM --
MATERIALED PRINTED FOR THE LUNAR
SOLAR DAY.
THE INVESTIGATION IS ONE OF THE
FIRST WHERE WE'RE PRINTING THESE
IN MICROGRAVITY TO UNDERSTAND
THE STRENGTH AND STRUCTURES.
WE HEARD ABOUT A NUMBER OF
INVESTIGATIONS ALREADY, GREAT
AMAZING RESEARCH THAT'S FLYING
TO THE SPACE STATION ON THE
CYGNUS.
FOR MORE ABOUT THE CYGNUS
VEHICLE ITSELF AND HOW WE'RE
GETTING THAT RESEARCH THERE,
I'LL TURN IT OVER TO FRANK
DAMARO.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH.
ON BEHALF OF NORTHROP GRUMMAN,
LIKE TO ADD A WELCOME TO
EVERYONE WATCHING FOR THE PRESS
BRIEFING FOR NG16 MISSION.
THE MISSION WILL BE OUR 16th
MISSION TO THE INTERNATIONAL
SPACE STATION.
RIGHT NOW, ALL THINGS LOOK
GREAT.
WE'RE A GO FOR LAUNCH AT
5:56 P.M. EASTERN TIME TOMORROW.
WE'RE START TO DELIVER
8200 POUNDS OF SCIENCE
EXPERIMENTS TO THE INTERNATIONAL
SPACE STATION.
THAT'S THE HEAVIEST CARGO
DELIVERY ROAD THAT ENTIRE CYGNUS
HAD TO DATE.
WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT THAT.
IF WE LAUNCH TOMORROW, WE'RE DUE
TO ARRIVE AT THE ISS VERY EARLY,
THURSDAY MORNING, AUGUST 12th.
WITH UP TO SEVEN ASTRONAUTS IN
THE FUTURE MAY BE MORE.
ON THE STATION AT ANY GIVEN
TIME.
AS WE COUNT DOWN TO LAUNCH
TOMORROW, I LIKE TO SHARE A
VIDEO THAT HIGHLIGHTS THE
JOURNEY ON THEIR WAY TO LAUNCH
WITH FOOTAGE FROM PREVIOUS
MISSIONS.
[VIDEO]
♪
>> GREAT VIDEO.
THANK YOU FOR THAT.
WE CONTINUE STOB EXTREMELY PROUD
OF OUR TEAMS FOR THE INCREDIBLE
AMOUNT OF WORK THEY DO TO GET
READY FOR THESE MISSIONS.
ALONG WITH OUR PARTNERS NASA, AS
WELL AS VIRGINIA SPACE.
EACH MISSION TELLS A DIFFERENT
STORY AND COMES WITH ITS OWN
UNIQUE ATTRIBUTES.
WE LEARN LESSONS THAT MAKES THE
NEXT MISSION MORE SUCCESSFUL.
WE CONTINUE TO LEARN AS WE GO
WITH THESE HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL
MISSIONS.
ON THE CYGNUS SIDE, WE CONTINUE
TO UPGRADE CYGNUS OVER THE YEARS
TO BECOME MORE THAN JUST A
SPACECRAFT BUT TO BE MORE OF
SIDELINES LABORATORY.
THESE ASPECTS OF CYGNUS ALLOW US
TO DELIVER PRESSURIZED CARGO AND
UNPRESSURIZED AND STAY ON THE
STATION FOR A LONG PERIOD OF
TIME TO BECOME PART OF THE ISS
FOR THREE MONTHS OR MONTH.
CYGNUS WILL UNDERGO A FINAL LOAD
OF CARGO AT THE 24-HOUR MARK
RIGHT BEFORE LIFTOFF.
THAT CAPABILITIES ALLOW THE
PAYLOADS TO GET LOADED ON THE
SPACECRAFT AS LATE AS POSSIBLE
SO WE CAN SHORTEN THE TIME FRAME
FROM DELIVERY TO US TO DELIVERY
TO THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE
STATION.
WE ALSO CONTINUE TO SUPPORT
NASA'S EFFORTS WITH THE
INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS
ESPECIALLY WITH THE JAPANESE
SPACE STATION, JAXA.
WE HAVE TWO EXPERIMENTS FLYING
ON CYGNUS.
WE HOSTED THOSE EXPERIMENTS IN
THE PREPARATION FOR THOSE AT THE
EASTERN VIRGINIA MEDICAL SCHOOL
IN NORFOLK, VIRGINIA.
IT'S BEEN A GREAT EXPERIENCE TO
WORK WITH JAXA ON COORDINATING
THESE MISSIONS AROUND THE WORLD.
WE'LL BE FLYING A SECONDARY
PAYLOAD CALLED PURPLE OR
PROTOTYPE INFRARED PAYLOAD WHERE
TEAMS FROM NORTHROP GRUMMAN WITH
THE AGENCY.
WE'LL COLLECT INFRARED DATA THAT
WILL HELP IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF
ALGORITHMS FOR THE NEXT
GENERATION OF SATELLITE TRACKING
CAPABILITY.
THE DATA FROM PURPLE WILL BE
ABLE TO SHAPE STUDIES THAT
GOVERNMENT AGENCIES AND
UNIVERSITIES STUDYING
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS AS
TECHNOLOGY CAN BE USED TO STUDY
VOLCANOES AND FOREST FIRES.
IN THE PURPLE CONTRACT ALLOWS
DEMONSTRATE NORTHROP GRUMMAN
CAPABILITIES.
FINALLY, IT'S BECOME A COMPANY
TRADITION TO NAME EACH CYGNUS
AFTER AN INDIVIDUAL WHO PLAYED A
SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN HUMAN SPACE
FLIGHT.
WE ARE HONORED TO NAME THIS
MISSION IN HONOR OF ELLIS, THE
FIRST MAKINGS AMERICAN ASTRONAUT
TO REACH SPACE.
ELLISON WAS SELECTED TO BECOME A
NASA ASTRONAUT AFTER A LONG AND
SUCCESSFUL CAREER AS A TEST
PILOT FOR THE AIR FORCE.
HE FLEW HIS FIRST MISSION TO
SPACE IN 1985 AND IN 1986,
ELLISON AND HIS CREW TRAGICALLY
LOST THEIR LIVES TO THE SPACE
SHUTTLE CHALLENGER.
ELLISON WAS BORN IN HAWAII AND
DREAMED ABOUT FLYING TO THE
STARS.
HE WAS AN INSPIRATION FOR
ASIAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY AND FOR
MULTIPLE GENERATIONS TO EXPLORE
NEW HORIZONS.
HE ONCE SAID EVERY GENERATION
HAS THE OBLIGATION TO FREE MEN'S
MIND FOR A LOOK AT NEW WORLD.
TO LOOK OUT FROM A HIGHER
PLATEAU THAN THE LAST
GENERATION.
YOU CAN FIND THESE WORDS OF
WISDOM ON THE LAST PAGE OF U.S.
PASSPORTS.
ENCOURAGE FOR ALL OF US TO DREAM
BIG.
I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO EXECUTING
OUR SWEET 16 MISSION TOMORROW IN
SUPPORT OF NASA AS WE CONTINUE
THE JOURNEY IN HUMAN SPACE
EXPLORATION.
>> THANK YOU, FRANK.
I'M EXCITED TO BE HERE TO TALK
ABOUT ANOTHER ANTARES CYGNUS
LAUNCH HERE.
I LIKE TO THANK OUR INTEGRATION
TEAM HERE AT WALLOPS.
THEY WORK HARD GETTING THESE
ROCKETS READY FOR LAUNCH.
I LIKE TO THANK THEM.
I LIKE TO THANK OUR ENGINEERS
WHO COME IN FROM ARIZONA AND
VIRGINIA AND WHO SIT ON CONSUL
AND MAKE SURE EVERYTHING IS
READY AND THE ROCKET IS WORKING
WELL AND READY FOR LAUNCH.
I LIKE TO THANK THE VIRGINIA
SPACE TEAM THAT MAINTAINS AND
GETS IT READY FOR US AND
OPERATES IT AND MAKE SURE WE'RE
READY TO PROCEED SPREED.
I'LL JUST QUICKLY RECAP RECENT
EVENT.
LAST THURSDAY, WE HAD OUR
MISSION DRESS REHEARSAL.
WE EXERCISED THE COMMUNICATION
TASK AND EXERCISED THE TIME AND
THE DECISION-MAKING PROCESS ON
FRIDAY, WE ROLLED ANTARES CYGNUS
OUT TO LAUNCH PAD AND RESTATED
VERTICAL.
ON SATURDAY, WE DID OUR COMBINE
SYSTEMS TEST WHICH IS A TEST OF
ALL THE INTERFACES BETWEEN THE
ROCKET, THE SPACECRAFT AND THE
RANGE AND SPACEPORT.
THAT WAS SUCCESSFUL.
WE WERE ABLE TO TAKE MOST OF
SUNDAY OFF.
SUNDAY ENDED UP BEING A REST DAY
FOR OUR TEAM.
THAT BRINGS US TO TODAY.
WE COMPLETED THE LAUNCH
READINESS REVIEW THIS TOMORROW.
WE HAVE NO LEANS TO LAUNCH.
THAT'S GOOD NEWS.
THE WEATHER REPORT LOOKS
FAVORABLE FOR TOMORROW.
I THINK BRITTANY WILL GET MORE
INTO THAT.
JUST WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN
LATER TODAY, WE GOT THE L MINUS
24 HOUR CARGO LOAD THAT WILL
HAPPEN AT 5:56 P.M.
AFTER THAT CYGNUS WILL CLOSE UP
THE HATCH AND PUT THE TOP BACK
ON.
WE'LL BE READY TO RESTATE UP TO
VERTICAL AROUND 5:00 A.M.
TOMORROW MORNING.
WE'LL DO FINAL ARMING AND BE
READY TO START THE COUNTDOWN
FIVE HOURS BEFORE LIFTOFF.
ABOUT 12:56 P.M. WHEN WE'LL OPEN
THE CHECKLIST AND START COUNTING
DOWN.
ABOUT ONE -- WE IGNITE THE TWO
MAIN ENGINES ON THE FIRST STAGE
AT L MINUS 0.
WE DO A HEALTH CHECK AT
INTERMEDIATE POWER SET.
WHEN WE PASS THAT HEALTH CHECK,
WE THROTTLE UP TO 100%.
WE WILL RELEASE THE HOLE DOWN
CLAMPS AT THE BASE OF THE
ROCKET.
ABOUT 2.7 SECONDS, WE'LL HAVE
LIFTOFF.
FIRST STAGE BURNS FOR 200
SECONDS.
AFTER WHICH WE HAVE A 50 SERVICE
SECOND COAST PERIOD DURING WHICH
WE SEPARATE THE FIRST STAGE.
SECOND STAGE WILL IGNITE AND
BURN FOR ABOUT 2.5 MINUTES WHICH
WERE IN ORBIT.
WE DO A SETTLING PERIOD AND
SEPARATE CYGNUS.
THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE.
LOOK FORWARD TO A GOOD LAUNCH
TOMORROW.
NOW I WILL TURN IT OVER TO
BRITTANY McKINLEY.
>> THANKS, KIRK.
GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYONE.
WE ARE PROUD TO PARTNER WITH
NASA'S ISS OFFICE TO DELIVER
THIS CARGO STATION.
ALL OF OUR RANGE TESTING IS
COMPLETE, CONFIGURATIONS HAS
BEEN LOCKED IN.
WE HAVE ANOTHER TEAM THAT'S BEEN
DEPLOYED TO OUR BERMUDA TRACKING
STATION.
THEY SPENT THE PAST TWO WEEKS
BRINGING UP THE SYSTEMS AND
RUNNING END TEST WITH US HERE AT
WALLOPS.
I WANT TO SEND OUT A THANK YOU
TO LOCAL COMMUNITY FOR ALL THEIR
SUPPORT ON THESE MISSIONS.
IT'S VITAL MAKING SURE THE
LAUNCH TEAM COME IN AND ALL THE
VISITORS HAVE A SAFE AND
ENJOYABLE EXPERIENCE.
THANK YOU.
NOW IT'S TIME FOR THE ALL
IMPORTANT WEATHER REPORT.
I DO HAVE GOOD NEWS FOR YOU ON
THAT FRONT.
FOR TOMORROW, WE'RE ONLY
TRACKING ONE ITEM OF CONCERN.
THAT'S OUR CUMULUS CLOUD AND OUR
PROHIBIT.
VIOLATION TO LAUNCH IS ONLY AT
20%.
THAT'S GREAT NEWS.
WE KEEPING AN EYE ON THOSE.
THE BETTER WAY TO PHRASE IT, WE
HAVE 80% CHANCE OF LAUNCH
TOMORROW.
IF FOR ANY REASON, WE NEED TO
RELAY ON OUR BACKUP DAYS, AGAIN,
GOOD WEATHER FOR THIS WEEK.
TRACKING SOME CLOUDS AND WORST
CASE IS GETTING US UP TO 30%
P.O.B.
LOOKING GOOD.
IN CLOSING, THE WALLOPS RANGE IS
GREEN.
WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO A
BEAUTIFUL LAUNCH TUESDAY
EVENING.
THANK YOU FOR FOLLOWING ALONG.
>> GREAT, THANK YOU, BRITTANY
AND ALL OF OUR OTHER EXPERTS AND
SPEAKERS TODAY.
NOW WE'LL MOVE ON TO THE
QUESTION AND ANSWER PORTION OF
OUR BRIEFING TODAY.
AS A REMINDER, YOU CAN SEND US
YOUR QUESTIONS USING #ASK NASA.
FIRST QUESTION, WHAT LEVEL OF
INSIGHT DOES NASA HAVE INTO THE
RUSSIAN INVENTION OF THE MLM
AFTER ITS JULY 29th DOCKING.
WHEN IS THAT INVESTIGATION
EXPECTED TO CONCLUDE?
>> THANK YOU.
WE'RE WORKING WITH OUR RUSSIAN
COLLEAGUES.
AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, WE TALK TO
THEM ON A REGULAR BASIS.
MULTIPLE TIMES DURING THE WEEK,
WE HAVE COMMUNICATION BETWEEN
THE FLIGHT CONTROL AND THE
FLIGHT CONTROL CENTER.
BETWEEN THE MISSION MANAGEMENT
TEAM AND HER RUSSIAN COLLEAGUE.
THE RUSSIANS ARE IN THE PROCESS
OF DEFINING HOW THEY'RE GOING TO
MOVE FORWARD WITH THIS
COMMISSION.
WE HAVE A TEAM THAT I PUT
TOGETHER ON THE U.S. SIDE THAT
WILL DO A SIMILAR THING.
AS FAR AS TIME LINE, PROBABLY
JUST LITTLE TOO EARLY TO TELL
THAT.
WE'RE WORKING TOGETHER TO LAY
THAT OUT.
I WOULD SAY PROBABLY IN THE NEXT
COUPLE OF WEEKS OR SO, WE'LL
HAVE A TIMELINE THEN I CAN
PROBABLY BETTER ANSWER THAT
QUESTION.
>> ANOTHER QUESTION FROM SOCIAL
MEDIA.
THIS IS MICHELLE FROM TWITTER
ASKS, WHY DOES THE LARGER DOOR
USED FOR CARGO DELIVERIES
REQUIRE BIRTHING WITH THE CANADA
ARM AND NOT AUTOMATIC DOCKING?
>> I'LL TAKE THAT ONE.
THE WAY IT WAS SET UP, THE
DOCKING, AS YOU SAID, IS A
SMALLER DIAMETER HATCH.
THE BIRTHING ALLOW US TO BRING
LARGER TYPE OF PAYLOADS BOTH
REPLACEMENT UNITS FOR OUR
SYSTEMS HARDWARE AS WELL AS
SCIENCE HARDWARE IN AND OUT.
IT'S JUST DIFFERENT CAPABILITY
WE HAVE.
WE HAVE TWO BIRTHING PORTS AND
TWO DOCKING PORTS.
WE HAVE OPPORTUNITIES FOR EITHER
BIRTHING OR DOCKING VEHICLE.
THE BIRTHING VEHICLES COME UP ON
CREW.
SO IS OUR CREW VEHICLES ARE
COMING UP AS DOCKING VEHICLES.
>> THANK YOU.
THIS QUESTION IS FROM KIRK
EVERLY.
WHAT THE STATUS OF LAUNCH.
CAN ANTARES COMPETE AGAINST
EFFORTS TO DEVELOP VEHICLES WITH
SIMILAR PAYLOAD CAPABILITIES?
>> WE ARE CONTINUING TO PURSUE
SALES OF ANTARES FOR NONZERO
MISSIONS.
WE'RE TALKING TO SOME OTHER
CUSTOMERS AS WELL.
WE THINK WE HAVE SOME REAL
CAPABILITY.
THIS VEHICLE IS EXTREMELY
RELIABLE.
WE'RE ABLE TO LAUNCH ON THE DATE
THAT WE PLAN TO LAUNCH.
WE GOT A GREAT TRACK RECORD.
I THINK THINGS ARE GOING VERY
WELL.
WE'RE HOPEFUL THAT WE CAN MAKE
SOME SALES AND WE'RE GOING AFTER
OTHER MISSIONS.
NEW ENTRANCE, EVERYTHING LOOKS
VERY ROSY ON PAPER.
BY THE TIME NEW ENTRANCE GETS
LAUNCHED, WE'LL SEE WHERE THEY
END UP.
IT'S A DIFFICULT BUSINESS.
WE DON'T MINIMIZE THAT OR TACK
IT FOR GRANTED AS ALL.
WE CONTINUE TO MARKET THE
VEHICLE.
WE THINK THERE'S SOME REAL
CAPABILITY THAT CAN BE
ATTRACTIVE TO OTHER USERS.
>> WE HAVE A QUESTION FROM
SOCIAL MEDIA ASKING, -- WE HAVE
A VIEWING VISIBILITY MAP
AVAILABLE ON NASA.GOV/NORTHROP
GRUMMAN.
WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO LOOK AT
THOSE MAPS.
THE WALLOP VISITOR CENTER
GROUNDS ARE CLOSED FOR GUEST
VIEWING THIS TIME BECAUSE OF THE
RISE IN COVID CASES.
WE WANT TO ENSURE EVERYBODY
STAYS SAFE.
WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO JOIN US BY
VIEWING ONLINE, NASA TV COVERAGE
WILL BEGIN 5:30 P.M. EASTERN
TIME TOMORROW.
NEXT QUESTION IS A SCIENCE
QUESTION.
WE'LL GO TO DR. CASTELLO.
ELIZABETH RAIN HAS A QUESTION
ABOUT THE FOUR BED SCRUBBER.
HOW DO YOU SEE THIS TECHNOLOGY
IMPROVING THE CO2 REMOVAL SYSTEM
IN FUTURE SPACECRAFT?
>> THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
IT'S ABSOLUTELY THE DESIGN
OBJECTIVE OF THIS HARDWARE.
TO GET IT ON PLACE ON ORBIT TO
TEST SMALLER MORE COMPACT MEANS
SCRUBBING THE CARBON DIOXIDE
FROM THE ATMOSPHERE.
ALSO INVESTING IN THAT
RELIABILITY, MAKING SURE THAT IT
CAN RUN AUTONOMOUSLY FOR OUR
FUTURE EXPLORATION CLASS
MISSIONS.
WHICH MAY TAKE UP TO A YEAR EACH
WAY JUST TO GET THE CREW TO THE
SURFACE LAUNCH.
>> WE HAVE ANOTHER SCIENCE
QUESTION FOR DR. CASTELLO.
HOW ARE YOU USING A SPACE
STATION FOR RESEARCH OR
TECHNOLOGY DEMONSTRATION TO
PREPARE FOR NASA'S ARTEMIS
MISSION TO THE MOON?
>> AGAIN, THAT TIES DIRECTLY
INTO SOME OF THE INVESTIGATIONS,
TECHNOLOGY DEMONSTRATION
ADVANCEMENT THAT WE'RE DOING FOR
THOSE SYSTEMS.
THE ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL LIFE
SUPPORT SYSTEM ON SPACE STATION,
HAVE DONE US GREAT OVER THE PAST
YEARS.
NOW WE'RE LOOKING AT WAYS TO
MAKE THEM MORE COMPACT, MORE
RELIABLE TO INSTALL IN THOSE
INSTANT LOCATIONS.
THEY'RE THAT'S INSTALLATION IN A
LUNAR GATEWAY OUTPOST OR IN A
MARS TRANSPORT VEHICLE.
WE'RE LOOKING AT ADVANCING THE
TECHNOLOGIES FOR THIS FROM LOWER
TECHNOLOGY LEVELS TO HIGHER.
AS WE BUILD THOSE SYSTEMS UP,
WE'LL BE ABLE TO GO FURTHER IN
OUR EXPLORATION OF THE SOLAR
SYSTEM.
ADDITIONALLY LOT OF THE SCIENCE
YOU HEARD RELATES TO HUMAN
RESEARCH ON BOARD SPACE STATION.
WE KNOW MICROGRAVITY EXPOSURE
ASPECTS THE HUMAN BODY IN
DIFFERENT WAYS.
WE'RE WORKING TO REDUCE THE RISK
TO OUR CREW MEMBERS AS WE
EXPLORE DOUBT THE SOLAR SYSTEM.
>> THANK YOU.
OUR NEXT QUESTION COMES FROM
SOCIAL MEDIA.
FRANK, CAN YOU PROVIDE A
COMPARISON TO ALLOW US TO KNOW
HOW MUCH CARGO CYGNUS ACTUALLY
CARRIES UP?
>> THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION.
GOOD WAY TO THINK ABOUT IT.
IT'S PROBABLY LIKE A SMALL
U-HAUL BOX TRUCK.
IT'S PROBABLY GOOD WAY TO THINK
ABOUT IT.
THE AMOUNT OF CARGO THAT WE CAN
FIT IN CYGNUS AVERAGE DENSITY
THAT WE GET FROM THE NASA CARGO
TEAM IS ABOUT 8200 POUNDS OF
CARGO.
IT IS A LOT OF PRESSURIZED CARGO
IN THERE.
IF YOU THINK ABOUT A MOVING
TRUCK, THAT'S HOW MUCH CARGO WE
CAN FIT IN THERE.
THE OTHER THING WE HAVE TO KEEP
IN MIND, WITHIN THE CARGO MODEL,
WE HAVE THE SUPPORT STRUCTURE TO
HOLD THE CARGO IN PLACE.
WE ALSO HAVE SOME ENVIRONMENTAL
CONTROLS TO BE ABLE TO CONTROL
THE TEMPERATURE AND THE PRESSURE
WITHIN THE CARGO MODULE SO WE
CAN PROVIDE A PRESSURIZED SPACE
WHEN WE ATTACHED TO THE SPACE
STATION.
WE NEED TO PROVIDE THE RIGHT
ENVIRONMENT FOR THE SCIENCE
PAYLOADS THAT FLY UP THERE.
IT'S LIKE A MOVING TRUCK WITH
SOME REALLY HIGH-END CONTROLS.
>> THANK YOU FOR THAT.
NEXT QUESTION IS FOR BRITTANY.
IT'S A RARE SUMMER LAUNCH.
HOW HAVE YOU GOT A GOTTEN WORD
OUT TO PEOPLE TO ENSURE --
[INDISCERNIBLE]
>> IN THE WEEKS LEADING UP TO
LAUNCH, WE ISSUE OUT NOTE CARDS
AND NOTE CAMS OR NOTICE TO
MARINERS AND NOTICE TO AIRMEN.
THAT COMES OUT OF OUR TEST
DIRECTOR'S OFFICE.
IN ADDITION TO THAT, WE HAVE A
REALLY GOOD WORKING RELATIONSHIP
IN THE LOCAL COMMUNITY BETWEEN
THE TEST DIRECTORS AND SURVEY
LAUNCH COORDINATION OFFICER.
WE RELY ON COMMUNITY
RELATIONSHIPS TO GET THE WORD
OUT AND BRING EVERYBODY TOGETHER
TO HELP US GET THE LAUNCH OFF.
WITH ANTARES, IT'S ONLY A FIVE
MINUTE WINDOW.
WE HAVE TO SPEND TOO MUCH TIME
TRYING TO CLEAR THE HAZARD AREA
OR UPRANGE HAZARD AREA, IT CAN
BE PROBLEMATIC.
>> THANK YOU.
WE LOOK FORWARD TO EVERYBODY
HAVING A GOOD LAUNCH FOR THOSE
OF YOU VIEWING, HELPING US
GETTING THE WORD OUT TO STAY OUT
OF THE BOX SO WE CAN HAVE A GOOD
LAUNCH.
RELATED QUESTION THIS ONE FOR
KIRK.
IF WE DON'T LAUNCH TOMORROW,
WHAT ARE OUR FUTURE LAUNCH
OPPORTUNITIES?
>> TOMORROW IS PRIMARY DAY.
THE DAY AFTER IS A VIABLE LAUNCH
DAY.
THE LAUNCH OPPORTUNITY IS ABOUT
23.5 MINUTES EARLIER ON
WEDNESDAY.
THE WINDS LOOK PRETTY GOOD.
YOU SAW ON BRITTANY'S SLIDE.
WEDNESDAY LOOKS VERY GOOD AS A
LAUNCH DAY.
WE'RE ABLE TO STAND DOWN FROM A
LAUNCH ON TUESDAY AND BE READY
TO LAUNCH AGAIN ON WEDNESDAY.
AFTER THAT, THURSDAY, WE WOULD
PROBABLY STAND DOWN AND GIVE
NASA AN OPPORTUNITY TO REFRESH
THE CARGO.
THEY NEED TO DO THAT.
THEN WE'LL BE BACK FOR ANOTHER
ONE ON FRIDAY.
EACH DAY WE WOULD HAVE A LAUNCH
TIME GOING ABOUT 23.5 MINUTES
EARLIER AS THAT ORBIT PLANE GOES
AROUND THE EARTH.
>> THANKS TO THAT.
I THINK THE NEXT QUESTION IS FOR
JOEL COMES FROM TWITTER.
WILL AN ISS REBOOT BE PERFORMED
THIS MISSION WITH THE CYGNUS?
>> WE'RE PLANNING TO DO A
REBOOTH ON THE NEXT MISSION.
WE WON'T BE DOING ONE ON THIS
MISSION.
WE'RE WORKING WITH OUR NORTHROP
GRUMMAN PARTNERS TO REBOOST.
>> THANK YOU FOR THAT.
PROBABLY THE NEXT QUESTION IS
FOR DR. CASTELLO.
WHY DO SOME OF THE EXPERIMENTS
THAT ARE SENT UP ON CYGNUS ALSO
GO BACK INTO CYGNUS TO BURN UP
AND REENTRY?
>> THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION.
APPARENTLY I THINK YOU'RE
REFERENCING THE CREPE
INVESTIGATION.
IN THIS CASE, THE KENTUCKY
REENTRY PROBE INVESTIGATION IS
ACTUALLY LOOKING AT MATERIALS IT
IN HOW WELL THEY DO ON SMALL
CAPSULES THAT ARE STORED WITHIN
THE CYGNUS VEHICLE AND THEN AS
THE CYGNUS VEHICLE BURNS UP ON
REENTRY, THEY ARE RELEASED INTO
THE UPPER ATMOSPHERE.
WE CAN COLLECT DATA ON
ORBITTABLE REENTRY SPEED
PERFORMANCE OF THESE NEW HEAT
SHIELD MATERIALS.
THAT'S THE CREPE INVESTIGATION
FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY.
>> GREAT.
PEOPLE CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION
ABOUT ALL OF THE SCIENCE
INVESTIGATIONS AT
NASA.ORG/NORTHROP GRUMMAN.
THE NEXT QUESTION IS FOR FRANK
DIMRAR ON YOU TALKED ABOUT THE
ENHANCEMENTS YOU MADE FOR
CYGNUS.
WHAT OTHER CAPABILITIES ARE ARE
YOU EXPERIMENTING WITH DOWN THE
ROAD FOR CYGNUS?
>> THANKS FOR THAT QUESTION.
FIRST THING IS SOMETHING JOEL
JUST MENTIONED A BIT AGO.
17 WILL BE ADDING MORE
CAPABILITY THAT GETS USE TO
RAISE THE ORBIT CYGNUS TO MEET
UP WITH THE ISS.
FUTURE MISSIONS THEY'LL HAVE THE
CAPABILITY TO REBOOT THE ISS
WHILE WE'RE ATTACHED TO THE
SPACE STATION.
THAT ENHANCEMENT IS FIXED IN HOW
IT'S POINTED.
THEN ONCE IN ORBIT, THAT'S THE
DIRECTION IT'S FIXED IN.
THE SPACE STATION HAS TO USE
LESS FUEL TO CORRECT SURFACES
THAT SIGNAL MIGHT CAUSE AND MORE
ENERGY GOES INTO REBOOSTING THE
STATION AND LESS INTO ATTITUDE
CONTROL MANEUVERS.
OTHER THINGS ARE THINGS WE'VE
SHOWN BEFORE WHERE THE ABILITY
TO STAY ON THE STATION LONGER
PERIODS OF TIME.
WE'RE LEARNING ON CYGNUS TO
SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF OTHER
MODULES THAT WE'RE PUTTING
FURTHER OUT INTO SPACE LIKE THE
HALO MODULE.
THE MORE TIMES WE FLY CYGNUS THE
MORE WE LEARN ABOUT THE
CAPABILITIES AND THE MORE
CONFIDENCE WE GET IN IT.
WE CONTINUE TO ADD NEW
CAPABILITIES FOR MISSIONS IN THE
FUTURE.
WE'LL CONTINUE TO DO THAT TO
MAKE SURE CYGNUS IS FLEXIBLE AND
USEABLE FOR NASA AS POSSIBLE.
>> GREAT, THANKS.
THIS IS A RELATED QUESTION OF
DAVID CURLY OF THE DISCOVERY
CHANNEL.
NASA TALKS ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE
OF SPACE TRUCKING CARGO FLIGHTS
TO THE MOON AND BEYOND.
CAN YOU SPEAK TO THE IMPORTANCE
AND SIZE OF THIS BUSINESS IN THE
FUTURE?
>> THERE'S A PROGRAM OUT THERE
CALLED GATEWAY LOGISTICS PROGRAM
WITH NASA.
SIMILAR TO WHAT WE DO FOR THE
ISS WHEN WE DELIVER CARGO TO THE
ISS.
NASA IS GOING TO NEED CARGO
DELIVERY AND SCIENCE AND
SUPPLIES DELIVERED OUT TO THE
AREAS AROUND THE MINE AND TO THE
GATEWAY.
THAT IS AS NASA EXPANDS ON OUR
MOVE TOWARDS THE MOON EVENTUALLY
FORWARDS MARS, THOSE LOGISTICS
SERVICES WILL BECOME CRITICAL.
WE THINK THE CYGNUS VEHICLE HAS
A LOT OF BUILDING BLOCKS NOT
ONLY FOR PEOPLE TO LIVE AROUND
THE MOON BUT FOR CYGNUS FLIGHT
VEHICLE TO PROVIDE THOSE
LOGISTICS AND CARGO DELIVERIES
OUT TO THE MOON.
LIKE WE TO NOW, ISS JUST FURTHER
OUT.
AS LONG AS NASA IS PUSHED
TOWARDS HAVING PEOPLE LIVING AN
WORKING AROUND THE MOON, THOSE
LOGISTICS WILL BECOME MORE AND
MORE IMPORTANT.
WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE
CREW HAS ENOUGH SUPPLIES TO LAST
FOR LONGER PERIODS OF TIME THAN
THEY DO ON THE ISS.
IT'S A CRITICAL TIME ON THE
ARTEMIS AND BEYOND.
>> ONE MORE.
SOMEBODY WANTED TO CATCH THE
NAME AGAIN OF THE SLIME THAT IS
GOING TO BE PART OF THE
INVESTIGATION.
>> AGAIN,
[INDISCERNIBLE]
>> I WANTED TO TONGUE TIE YOU.
I THINK OUR LAST QUESTION, THIS
ONE GOES TO KIRK EVERLY.
HAVE YOU MADE ADJUSTMENTS FOR
COVID IN YOUR LAUNCH
PREPARATION?
>> GREAT QUESTION.
FIRST OF ALL, THE NUMBER ONE
PRIORITY HERE IN NORTHROP
GRUMMAN IS THE SAFETY OF OUR
WORKFORCE IN OUR CONTRACTORS AND
ASSOCIATED PARTNERS THAT HAVE TO
HELP US GET READY.
WE HAVE SOME STRICT PROTOCOLS TO
BE PUT IN PLACE.
THESE INVOLVE PERSONAL
PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT THAT OUR
EMPLOYEE THE WEAR.
WE HAVE GONE THROUGH AN
OPERATIONS REVIEW TO LOOK FOR
HOW TO SOCIALLY DISTANCE AS MANY
OF THEM AS WE CAN.
FOR THOSE THAT CAN'T BE SOCIALLY
DISTANCE, HOW WE PROTECT OUR
WORSE FORCE THROUGH ADDITIONAL
PPE.
THAT HAS HELPED US GET THROUGH
THE PAST YEAR.
WE'VE DONE TWO LAUNCHES, NG14
AND 15 WITHIN THE LAST YEAR.
BOTH OF THEM SUCCESSFUL.
WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO KEEP OUR
WORKFORCE SAFE AND HEALTHY
THROUGHOUT.
THEN, COMING UP TO LAUNCH DAY,
WHEN GO ON CONSUL, WE SPACE OUT
OUR CONSUL TEAM MEMBERS MORE
THAN IN THE PAST.
WE'RE KEEPING THOSE PRACTICES.
WE KNOW THAT CASE COUNT IS BACK
UP.
THAT'S UNFORTUNATE.
WE'RE READY TO GO AND REPEAT
THOSE SAME PROTOCOLS WE PUT IN
PLACE LAST TWO MISSIONS FOR THIS
MISSION.
WE'RE CONFIDENT THAT WE CAN KEEP
OUR WORKFORCE SAFE BY FOLLOWING
THOSE PRACTICES.
>> GREAT.
WE GOT ONE LAST QUESTION,
BREAKING QUESTION.
THIS COMES FROM BEN EVANS ON
TWITTER WHO ASK WHERE IN THE
SPACE STATION WILL THE
MODIFICATION KIT BE STORED AFTER
ITS ARRIVAL?
WHY IS IT BEING INSTALLED SO
EARLY WHEN THE SOLAR ARRAY WON'T
ARRIVE UNTIL NEXT YEAR?
>> GOOD QUESTION.
WE CAN FIND OUT AND GET BACK TO
YOU.
THE REASON WE WANT TO INSTALL
IT, WE WANT TO GIVE STUFF --
ONCE YOU HAVE IT ON ORBIT, YOU
WANT TO GET IT INSTALLED AND
WORKING AND SET UP AS QUICKLY AS
YOU CAN IN CASE YOU RUN INTO
PROBLEMS.
THERE'S NOT A NEED. WE DON'T
GET IT DONE THIS MONTH.
WE'LL FIND ANOTHER TIME TO GET
IT DONE.
YOU WANT TO GET THEM DONE AND
MAKE SURE EVERYTHING IS WORKING.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH.
THAT'S ALL THE QUESTIONS WE HAVE
FOR TODAY.
THANK YOU TO OUR PANELISTS.
FOR TAKING TIME OUT OF YOUR BUSY
PRELAUNCH SCHEDULE TO TALK ABOUT
THIS IMPORTANT MISSION.
THANK YOU TO THE MEDIA AND OUR
VIEWERS FOR YOUR INTEREST IN
THIS MISSION AND THE IMPORTANT
SCIENCE RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY
DEMONSTRATION THAT IT WILL
ENABLE ABOARD THE MICROGRAVITY
LABORATORY.
AS A REMINDER, WE'LL BE BE
CLOSED FOR GUEST VIEWING.
WE WANT TO KEEP EVERYBODY SAFE
AND PROTECTED FROM THE COVID
DELTA VARIANT.
NASA DOES HAVE A VIRTUAL GUEST
LAUNCH PROGRAM.
WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO PARTICIPATE
IN THAT AND OF COURSE, STAY
TUNED TO NASA.ORG/NORTHROP
GRUMMAN FOR LAUNCH.
FOR LIFTOFF AT 5:56 P.M. EASTERN
TIME.
GO ANTARES, GO CYGNUS, GO