Northrop Grumman Corporation has named the next Cygnus mission to the International Space Station in honour of Dr Sally Ride, astronaut, physicist, and first American woman to fly in space. The NG-18 mission is scheduled to launch on November 6.
The “S.S. Sally Ride” follows the company’s tradition of naming Cygnus spacecraft for an individual who has pioneered human spaceflight. Ride became the first American female astronaut serving on the crew of the second flight of Challenger and was a steadfast advocate for diversity and equality in science — inspiring countless women to pursue STEM careers.
Northrop Grumman uses Cygnus to perform International Space Station resupply flights under the second Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract. The Cygnus vehicle provides a number of advanced capabilities during these cargo resupply missions, including acting as laboratory space while docked to the station and reboost services – a critical part of altitude maintenance for the station.
Comentários