NASA Lifts Off SS Kalpana Chawla Cargo Spacecraft

A commercial cargo spacecraft bound for the International Space Station (ISS) launched on late on the night of October 1st carrying the name of deceased NASA astronaut Kalpana Chawla (K.C.).
She is the first Indian-born woman to enter space for her key contribution to human spaceflight though during her second spaceflight STS-107 on February 1, 2003, due to complications in the space shuttle ultimately resulted in the loss of control led to vehicle disintegration and the death of the whole crew.

The spacecraft a Northrop Grumman Cygnus will be arriving and the attachment to the space station two days later after launch. Northrop Grumman is an American global aerospace and defense company said that this mission is named after Chawla in to honor her work and also her dream of flying through the air and in space. Chawla made the ultimate sacrifice in service to the space program, her legacy lives on she has not only inspired her colleagues but also many Indians. Her final research conducted onboard Columbia helped understand astronaut health and safety during spaceflight.
On the NG-14 mission, the S.S. Kalpana Chawla will deliver approximately 3,630 kilograms of cargo to the station.

Research flying abroad the Cygnus includes the test of a biological drug that could be used for the treatment of leukemia, a plant growth study that will cultivate radishes as a model for future crops in the compact toilet for astronauts to use on deep – space exploration mission with a 360- degree virtual reality camera that will be used to film during spacewalk for an immersive cinematic production.
Melissa McKinley, NASA project manager for the universal waste management systems project, elaborate about the newly- designed toilet which was sent to the station on a cargo ship.

The toilet ” Smaller than you know usually what’s the primary concept for this project is to reduce mass and volume for exploration missions. With that in mind, the UW MS is 65% smaller and 40% lighter than the current toilet on ISS. If you think of it in terms of the toilet at your house it’s similar in size, except that it doesn’t have a tank behind it so it’s very similar to a unit you might see here on the ground, but obviously much more complex” McKinley said.