Subj : Crew-3: Endurance departs the ISS for its return to Earth To : All From : NasaSpaceFlight Date : Thu May 05 2022 06:30:04 Crew-3: Endurance departs the ISS for its return to Earth Date: Thu, 05 May 2022 05:22:08 +0000 Description: Crew Dragon Endurance has departed from the International Space Station (ISS) as its Crew-3 mission The post Crew-3: Endurance departs the ISS for its return to Earth appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com . FULL STORY ====================================================================== Crew Dragon Endurance has departed from the International Space Station (ISS) as its Crew-3 mission comes to an end. Endurance is carrying astronauts Raja Chari, Kayla Barron, Tom Marshburn, and Matthias Maurer back to Earth after nearly six months in orbit. Endurance undocked from the forward-facing port of the stations Harmony Module at 05:20 UTC (01:20AM EDT) on Thursday. It is now in the process of conducting a series of burns to lower its orbit ahead of reentry, with its splashdown scheduled for Friday at 04:43 UTC (00:43AM EDT) off the coast of Florida. Launched on November 11, 2021, from historic Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center , Crew-3 was the third operational Commercial Crew mission to the International Space Station to be flown by SpaceX. It is the first flight of the Crew Dragon Endurance . The mission is commanded by NASA Astronaut Raja Chari, who along with mission specialist Kayla Barron, became the first astronauts of Group 22 (nicknamed The Turtles ) to launch to the ISS. This was a swift mission assignment for the two astronauts after they graduated from NASAs Astronaut Corps in 2020. Also aboard Endurance is veteran NASA Astronaut Thomas Marshburn, who had already logged more than 146 days in space prior to Crew-3, and who completed his fifth spacewalk during the mission bringing his total spacewalk time up to 31 hours. A physician who was selected as a NASA astronaut in 2004 as a part of Astronaut Group 19, Marshburn previously flew aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour during STS-127 and Soyuz TMA-07M as a part of the ISS Expedition 34 and 35 crews. The Crew-3 astronauts during a fit check of their SpaceX spacesuits aboard the ISS (credit: NASA) Endurance s crew is rounded out by another rookie astronaut, Matthias Maurer of the European Space Agency (ESA). The German was initially a crew support engineer for the Columbus modules flight control team and later had a lead role in ESA Astronaut Centre projects before formally joining the European Astronaut Corps in July 2015. He is the second ESA astronaut to fly aboard Dragon, following Thomas Pesquet who flew to the ISS aboard the Crew-2 mission last year. See Also Crew-3 Updates SpaceX Missions Section L2 SpaceX Section Click here to Join L2 The Crew-3 astronauts served aboard the ISS as part of the Expedition 66 and Expedition 67 crew increments. Thomas Marshburn was a flight engineer for Expedition 66, taking over as the space stations commander at the start of Expedition 67 in March. Before departing the orbiting laboratory, Marshburn handed over command of the station to Roscosmos Cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev during a traditional change of command ceremony on May 3. Crew-3s return to Earth comes a few days after Dragon Freedom arrived at the space station on the Crew-4 mission , with four astronauts to join Expedition 67. By waiting until after Freedom s arrival for Endurance to depart, NASA was able to carry out a direct handover aboard the outpost. Endurance docked to the ISS with over 180 kilograms (400 pounds) of supplies and hardware for the outpost. Over 70 kg (150 lb) of this cargo was comprised of research experiments to be carried out in the orbital laboratory. These included: Smartphone Video Guidance System (SVGS) : A low-cost, commercial off-the-shelf implementation of all the sensors designed for automated spacecraft rendezvous and docking. Developed by NASAs Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in collaboration with the Florida Institute of Technology, SVGS was tested using the Astrobee facility onboard the ISS. It used a camera to capture images of a four-point LED beacon, analyzing the pattern of the illuminated dots to determine the range and orientation of its target. Food Physiology Study : This documented the correlation between dietary improvements and immune function and gut biome. It investigated how these improvements could help crews better adapt to spaceflight missions, shaping a better understanding of foods effect on physiology in microgravity. Uniform Protein Crystal Growth (UPCG) : This quick-turnaround experiment aimed to leverage microgravity to grow a batch of near-perfect nanocrystals of riboswitch RNA, which is responsible for switching individual genes on and off. These have been loaded back onto Endurance for its return to Earth, and after landing the results will be analyzed quickly using the X-ray Free Electron Laser at the Kennedy Space Centers Payload Processing Facility. Spaceflight Standard Measures : These biological core measurements include physiological, psychological, and chemical measurements of the crew to characterize the effects of living and working in space. EasyMotion Study: This ESA study was aimed at increasing the efficiency of astronauts daily exercise routines by using electrical muscle stimulation, a strengthening technique in which the muscles are simulated using electrical impulses. Apart from these studies, the Crew-3 astronauts also printed fiber optics, tested a handheld bio-printer, and studied concrete hardening in zero G. The mission also delivered new upgrades to the stations Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS), a new toilet, brine processing assembly, carbon dioxide scrubbers, and two new hydrogen sensors. During their six months aboard the @Space_Station , #Crew3 contributed to hundreds of experiments to help improve life on Earth. Catch up on their scientific journey before their return to Earth: https://t.co/BUIGaO5rqg pic.twitter.com/wn1k8w81fb NASA (@NASA) May 4, 2022 Undocking and Return NASA and SpaceX teams have designated seven splashdown zones for Crew Dragon. These include four in the Gulf of Mexico: Pensacola, Panama City, Tallahassee, and Tampa; and three in the Atlantic Ocean: Jacksonville, Daytona, and Cape North. Two weeks before the return, teams selected the primary and the alternate landing sites, pending weather conditions. In addition to the seven designated splashdown sites, a backup unsupported landing site with suitable weather conditions is also identified to mitigate the risk of weather changes, and to ensure a minimum of two landing sites are identified at all times. In the unlikely scenario that it is required, responsibility for recovering Endurance and the Crew-3 astronauts will fall to the U.S. Department of Defense. Endurance prior to its departure from the ISS (credit: NASA) A final decision to depart the space station was made jointly by teams at SpaceX and NASA, about 48 hours before the planned splashdown based on the weather conditions of the landing sites. Additional weather briefings and go/no-go decisions take place as Endurance passes important milestones during the return flight. Weather monitoring plays a crucial role in determining where and when Crew Dragon can return to Earth. About six hours before departure, NASA and SpaceX made the final decision on the primary splashdown target based on the latest weather updates. For the Crew-3 mission, the primary splashdown site will be Tampa. SpaceX continued to monitor for any changes in conditions at the recovery site until about two and a half hours before the scheduled undocking. If conditions changed and were no longer acceptable for landing, SpaceX and NASA would have made a joint decision on whether to delay the crews departure. Ahead of undocking, Tuesday saw the astronauts finish packing up their belongings and experiments, stowing them inside Endurance for the return to Earth. On Wednesday they said their goodbyes to the other members of Expedition 67 before boarding the Dragon capsule. Completing Dragon suit checkouts & a view of our @SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule Endurance Soon it's time to head back to Earth & I'm looking forward to home, but also getting a bit wistful that it'll soon be time to say goodbye. #Crew3 #CosmicKiss pic.twitter.com/HTLA2J44uo Matthias Maurer (@astro_matthias) May 1, 2022 Dragons crew donned their SpaceX flight suits and closed the hatch between Endurance and the ISS, while the crew remaining aboard the space station closed the hatch on their side of the docking mechanisms. Once the Crew-3 astronauts had strapped themselves into their respective seats, depressurization of the vestibule the narrow area between the hatches of the docking ports on the ISS and Dragon could begin. Mission control teams carried out a final go/no-go poll for undocking of Crew Dragon Endurance while the vestibule was being depressurized. With depressurization complete and flight controllers having verified that everything was go, Endurance undocked from the space station before performing the first in a series of short duration thruster firings to maneuver itself away from the ISS. Maneuver Duration (sec) V (m/s)* Time (UTC) Time (EDT) Undock Burn 1 1.5 0.05 05:04:58 01:04:58 Undock Burn 2 5 0.15 05:05:04 01:05:04 Depart Burn 0 16 0.2 05:05:26 01:05:26 Depart Burn 1 21 0.61 05:10:43 01:10:43 Depart Burn 2 44 3.0 05:58:05 01:58:05 Depart Burn 3 63 4.0 06:44:30 02:44:30 * Delta-V represents the change in the spacecrafts velocity imparted by the burn About two hours after undocking, Endurance will perform the first of two long-duration in-orbit burns. This is the Departure Phase Burn, which will significantly reduce the spacecrafts orbital altitude. The second, the Prop Wasting Burn, is designed to expend surplus fuel, reducing Dragon to just the propellant levels needed to deorbit itself safely, while also lowering the orbit further in preparation for Trunk separation. Maneuver Duration (sec) V (m/s) Time (UTC) Time (EDT) Departure Phase Burn 553 54.4 08:12:57 04:12:57 Prop Wasting Burn 521 52.6 03:01:51 (Fri) 11:01:51PM Dragon will proceed with these burns regardless of any late changes to weather conditions at its planned landing sites. This allows it to preserve the landing opportunity should they change again and become acceptable once more. With this phase of the flight complete, controllers will receive another weather briefing for the landing sites. At this point, if conditions are not suitable for a landing attempt, they can take a decision to wave off the landing. In this scenario, Dragon will remain in orbit with further landing attempts possible 24-48 hours later. Otherwise, SpaceX and NASA teams will proceed with the deorbit sequence, starting with two important events which take place back to back. At 03:47 UTC (11:47PM EDT), the Claw which connects thermal control, power, and avionics system components located on the Trunk to the Dragon capsule will separate. Shortly afterward, the Trunk, which contains the Solar Panels and radiators for thermal control, will be jettisoned. After separation, the Trunk will likely remain in orbit for well over a year before it decays from orbit naturally and is destroyed as it re-enters Earths atmosphere. SpaceX will continue to monitor weather conditions before making a final decision to continue with the deorbit burn. If the conditions are acceptable, Endurance will perform its final nine-minute-long deorbit burn at 03:53 UTC (11:53PM EDT), beginning the spacecrafts descent towards Earth and its primary landing site off the coast of Tampa. After the deorbit burn, Endurance s protective nose cone which covers the forward bulkhead thrusters, docking ring, and sensors crucial for autonomous approach and rendezvous will close as the capsule prepares for its fiery atmospheric re-entry. Dragon will reenter the atmosphere, with a temporary loss of signal and communication from the craft expected as an envelope of ionized air forms around the spacecraft created by the extreme heat of reentry, when temperatures can rise to 1,930 C (3,500 F). Crew Dragon Endeavour splashes down at the end of 2020s Demo-2 mission (credit: NASA) Communications will be reestablished once Dragon has passed through this phase of reentry. The next major milestone in its return will be the deployment of its drogue parachutes, expected around 04:39 UTC (12:39AM EDT). These will help to slow the spacecraft down, with the drogues making way for the four main parachutes about 47 seconds later. At 04:43 UTC (12:43AM EDT), Endurance will splash down in the Gulf of Mexico. Once the capsule is in the water, recovery forces will descend on Endurance. Recovery operations will be assisted by over forty trained NASA and SpaceX personnel, including spacecraft engineers, water recovery experts, medical professionals, the crew of the recovery ship crew, and NASA payload experts. Endurance will be winched aboard the SpaceX recovery ship, Megan, which is in position at the Tampa splashdown site. The astronauts will be assessed in a medical area on the recovery ship before they are returned to shore and subsequently flown back to Houston to begin post-flight activities. (Lead Image: Endurance undocks from the ISS credit: NASA TV) The post Crew-3: Endurance departs the ISS for its return to Earth appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com . ====================================================================== Link to news story: https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2022/05/crew-3-return/ --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A47 (Linux/64) * Origin: tqwNet Science News (1337:1/100) .