November 13th, 2019 - The morning of November 2, 2019 at 0959 AM EST, Northrop Grumman and
NASA successfully launched NG-12 aboard an Antares 230+ from Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia. This mission marked the 12th mission with Northrop Grumman to resupply the International Space Station with the Cygnus Spacecraft. Additionally, this was the first flight of the 230+ and second Cygnus spacecraft currently in orbit .
The spacecraft, honored, the " S.S. Alan Bean", successfully delivered 8,200 pounds of cargo to the ISS on Monday, November 4th. Some of the research and experiments already underway include, the MIS ( made in space recycle) that will test systems for reprocessing plastic into 3D printing and creating new items, the AstroRad vest, a garment that protects vital organs from radiation, and even a Zero-G oven to test heat and the process of baking food in microgravity. Once S.S. Alan Bean has finished its tenure with the ISS in late 2019, the craft will be re-stocked with on board waste, released from its port, and preform a de-orbit maneuver before its intentional demise upon re-entering Earth's atmosphere.
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