Friday, May 25, 2012

Dragon C2+ floats underneath the International Space Station (ISS) as its robotic arm, in the foreground, waits to grapple the SpaceX vehicle on May 25, 2012.
NASA TV

"Looks like we got us a Dragon by the tail." Those were the words of International Space Station (ISS) crew member Don Pettit as history was made when the Dragon C2+ vehicle berthed at the orbital outpost for the very first time earlier today. Dragon C2+ was grappled by the ISS' robotic arm at 6:56 AM, Pacific Daylight Time...prior to the privately-made spacecraft officially berthing with the station's Harmony module at 9:02 AM, PDT. The ISS crew will have a hatch-opening ceremony for Dragon C2+ tomorrow morning, and will then spend the next week unloading supplies from the capsule before it is detached from the ISS on May 31 and safely returns to Earth that same day. This is the first time that an American-made vehicle traveled to the space station since the orbiter Atlantis visited it on her last flight, STS-135, in July of 2011. SpaceX is planning to launch Dragon to the ISS again (to officially begin delivering cargo for NASA) before this year is up.

History is made as the ISS' robotic arm grapples Dragon C2+ prior to it berthing at the outpost on May 25, 2012.
NASA TV

Sunlight reflects off the ISS' robotic arm after it grappled Dragon C2+ for the very first time on May 25, 2012.
NASA TV

History is made as Dragon C2+ is finally berthed to the ISS, on May 25, 2012.
NASA TV
Posted by Richard Par at 12:43 PM
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