Northrop Grumman decided to name the next Cygnus spacecraft after Sally Ride, who became the first American woman in space. It should fly into space no earlier than February 6.
New Cygnus was named after the first astronaut
Northrop Grumman has decided to name its next cargo spacecraft Cygnus in honor of the first American astronaut Sally Ride. It should fly into space this year, but not before November 6.
This was announced by Kathy Warden, who is the head, chief executive officer and president of Northrop Grumman. It is expected that S.S. Salli Raid will be launched into space using an Antares 230+ rocket developed by the company itself. The launch is to take place from the spaceport on Wallops Island in Virginia.
This will be the 19th launch of the Cygnus cargo spacecraft. It will deliver 3,700 kg of payload to the International Space Station for the crew of its 68th expedition. After the need for it disappears, S.S. Salli Raid will be undocked from the station, built from orbit and flooded in the ocean.
Who is Sally Ride?
SS Sally Ride is the third Cygnus spacecraft named after a woman. Previously, Northrop Grumman had already given their cargo spacecraft the names of the former head of the company J. R. Thompson, candidate for the manned orbital laboratory of the US Air Force Robert Lawrence, NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson and NASA astronauts David Low, Gordon Fullerton, Alan Poindexter, John Glenn, Gene Cernan, John Young, Roger Chaffee, Alan Bean, Kalpana Chawla and Ellison Onizuka.
Ride began her career at NASA as an operator in the mission control center. She became the first woman in this position. In 1978, she became one of the first women to become NASA astronauts. She made a space flight on June 18, 1983 aboard the shuttle Challenger, becoming the first American woman in space.
She also made her second flight on the Challenger, after which she worked on the Earth. Ride participated in the investigation of both catastrophes that occurred with the American shuttles and created a foundation in her name to help women scientists. She died in 2012.
According to www.space.com
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