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Crews aboard the International Space Station

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are continuing their cutting-edge science
and

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technology research benefiting people living
on our home planet.

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To ensure their crucial work continues uninterrupted,

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NASA at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida

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is preparing to launch a Cygnus spacecraft
to

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supply the orbiting outpost.

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The space station serves as the world's leading
laboratory where

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astronauts perform studies

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that will enable human and robotic exploration

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of destinations beyond low-Earth orbit,

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including an asteroid and Mars.

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The upcoming launch of Orbital ATK's Cygnus
spacecraft

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will be the company's fifth mission

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under NASA's Commercial Resupply Services
Contract

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to keep work going aboard the station.

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Cygnus will carry about 7,700 pounds of supplies

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and vehicle hardware to the station to support

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the work of the Expedition 47 and 48 crews.

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Orbital ATK's Dan Tani is familiar with the
work

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taking place aboard the International Space
Station.

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He is a former NASA astronaut who spent 120
days in space

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during Expedition 16 from October

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2007 to February 2008.

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He recently spoke about what it's like when
a cargo vessel arrives

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with needed supplies and equipment.

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Dan Tani: "It's like Christmas.

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Opening a big box of goodies.

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And finding some stuff that you've been wanting
and finding some

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surprises you didn't know about."

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Cygnus will lift off atop a United Launch
Alliance Atlas V rocket

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from Space Launch Complex 41

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at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

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Speaking in Kennedy's Payload Hazardous Servicing
Facility where Cygnus was undergoing

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final preparations, Tani described how the
unpiloted spacecraft will

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go to work after liftoff as it

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travels autonomously to its destination.

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Dan Tani: "The biggest moments for me is getting
onto orbit,

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getting the vehicle all configured

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so it can fly and perform in orbit correctly,
and then make its

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approach to the space station."

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As Cygnus approaches the space station the
astronauts begin

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their vital role to capture,

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or grapple, the cargo laden spacecraft.

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Dan Tani: "The crew onboard gets involved
about two hours before

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they actually grapple it.

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Their job is to watch the vehicle as it's
coming in.

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As they progress up to the exact place where
they will grapple it,

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the arm will be in place and they will then
command the arm

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and go in to grapple the Cygnus."

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For this mission, the Cygnus will deliver
many important items

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including the second generation

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of a portable device to demonstrate 3-D printing
on the space station.

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Also aboard will be an instrument for first
space-based

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observations of the chemical

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composition of meteors entering Earth's atmosphere.

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Another experiment will involve igniting and
studying a large-scale

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fire inside an empty Cygnus

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resupply vehicle after it leaves the space
station and prior to it

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re-entering the Earth's atmosphere.

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The goal is to improve understanding of how
a fire grows

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in microgravity in order to safeguard

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future space missions.

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These experiments and many others aboard the

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International Space Staton continue ongoing