Chocolate Going On A Space Station Delivery
September 20, 2013
NASA astronaut Karen Nyberg said in an interview that she can't wait for the arrival of a new cargo ship by the name of Cygnus, the first ever shipment by Orbital Sciences Corp. to the International Space Station.
"You know that there's something packed away in that vehicle, something special for you ... We're human beings and we get very excited about the packages from home and some of the treats that we might get," said Nyberg.
Orbital Sciences was scheduled to launch an unmanned Antares rocket that contained Cygnus last Wednesday morning from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on Virginia's eastern shore. It also happens to be where NASA launched a moon spacecraft some weeks ago. NASA is paying Orbital Sciences and the California-based SpaceX Company so that the space station is well stocked in the shuttle-less era.
Given that it’s considered a test flight, the Cygnus will be stocking up on food and other nonessential items. That suits Nyberg and her two male crewmates - an Italian and a Russian. They have been in orbit since the end of May, with two more months to go. Three more residents arrive later next week.
Nyberg's husband, Douglas Hurley, who is also a NASA astronaut, put together the package that has already been stored on the Cygnus capsule.
"It would be really nice to have some fresh home-baked goods, but the fresh part doesn't work very well when it takes a couple days to get here," Nyberg said. "So anything chocolate usually does it for me."
Since the launch was last Wednesday, the Cygnus is expected to arrive at the space station on Sunday. Russia, Europe, and Japan are also sending up supplies.
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