After making history last Friday
by becoming the first private spacecraft to ever reach the
International Space Station (ISS), SpaceX’s Dragon capsule was
successfully boarded by ISS astronauts the following morning. The
interior of the craft was reportedly in good condition, and according to
astronaut Don Pettit, it smelled like a new car.
Working from the station’s Harmony module, where the Dragon is
docked, Pettit opened the capsule’s exterior hatch on Saturday at 5:53
AM Eastern Daylight Time. He and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko then
entered the spacecraft for initial inspections, and were joined by
European Space Agency astronaut Andre Kuipers and Russian cosmonaut
Gennady Padalka. The men initially wore goggles and protective masks,
which is a standard precaution taken when opening any craft that has
just arrived at the station.
The ISS crew are now in the process of unloading 1,014 pounds (460
kg) of cargo, which was brought to the ISS aboard the Dragon. They will
then load it up with approximately the same amount of gear, for it to
bring back to Earth when it returns this Thursday.
Sources: SpaceX, NASA
Ref: http://www.gizmag.com/spacex-dragon-boarded/22710/
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