Advertisement

Sunrise colors space station image of approaching cargo ship

By Brooks Hays
A sunrise bathes the Orbital ATK's Cygnus cargo ship and the space station's robotic arm in golden rays. Photo by NASA
A sunrise bathes the Orbital ATK's Cygnus cargo ship and the space station's robotic arm in golden rays. Photo by NASA

Nov. 17 (UPI) -- An image captured this week from the vantage of the International Space Station revealed the approach of Orbital ATK's Cygnus resupply ship, which was launched last weekend.

The image, shared Thursday by NASA, is tinged with the golden hue of the sunrise. Awash in sunlight, the cargo ship's two solar panels appear like cymbals. The space station's robotic arm, Canadarm2, can be seen stretching into the bottom right corner of the frame.

Advertisement

Cygnus arrived Tuesday morning. For the last few days, astronauts have been unloading the 7,400 pounds of cargo.

Among the thousands of pounds of supplies are several science experiments, including an experiment designed to measure antibiotic resistance in microgravity. A number of other experiments will also explore the science of plant and crop growth in space.

Several experimental CubeSats are packed inside the Cygnus spacecraft. One of the box-shaped satellites will test a laser-based communications systems designed for small spacecrafts, while another mini satellite will test a hybrid solar power panel and communication solar antenna.

Latest Headlines