science

SpaceX CRS-15

SpaceX CRS-15 is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand SpaceX CRS-15 rather than just read about it. In short: SpaceX CRS-15, also known as SpX-15, was a Commercial Resupply Service mission to the International Space Station launched 29 June 2018 aboard a Falcon 9 rocket. The mission was contracted by NASA and flown by SpaceX.

Key takeaways

SpaceX CRS-15 belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect SpaceX CRS-15 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of SpaceX CRS-15 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

SpaceX CRS-15, also known as SpX-15, was a Commercial Resupply Service mission to the International Space Station launched 29 June 2018 aboard a Falcon 9 rocket. The mission was contracted by NASA and flown by SpaceX.

Launch

In early 2015, NASA awarded a contract extension to SpaceX for three additional CRS missions (CRS-13 to CRS-15). In June 2016, a NASA Inspector General report had this mission manifested for April 2018, but this was pushed back, first to 6 June, to 9 June, to 28 June and finally to 29 June 2018. The mission launched on 29 June 2018 at 09:42 UTC aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 40. The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft rendezvoused with the International Space Station on 2 July 2018. It was captured by the Canadarm2 at 10:54 UTC and was berthed to the Harmony node at 13:50 UTC. On 3 August 2018, Dragon was released from ISS at 16:38 UTC and deorbited, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean approximately 5 hours later at 22:17 UTC, returning more than 1,700 kg (3,748 lb) of cargo to Earth. It is reported that the Dragon spacecraft may have experienced some parachute anomaly during its flight to the ISS, but it did not prevent the capsule from successful splashdown.

Payload NASA contracted for the CRS-15 mission from SpaceX and therefore determined the primary payload, date/time of launch, and orbital parameters for the Dragon space capsule. According to a NASA mission overview, CRS-15 carried a total of 2,697 kg (5,946 lb) of total cargo, divided between 1,712 kg (3,774 lb) of pressurized material and 985 kg (2,172 lb) of unpressurized cargo. The external payloads manifested for this flight were ECOSTRESS and a Latching End Effector for Canadarm2. CubeSats included on this flight were three Biarri-Squad satellites built by Boeing for a multinational partnership led by the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office, and three satellites making up the Japanese-sponsored Birds-2 program: BHUTAN-1 from Bhutan, Maya-1 from the Philippines, and UiTMSAT-1 from Malaysia. Furthermore, it contained an interactive artwork by artist Nahum entitled The Contour of Presence, a collaboration with the International Space University, Space Application Services and the European Space Agency. The following is a breakdown of cargo bound for the ISS:

Science investigations: 1,233 kg (2,718 lb) Crew supplies: 205 kg (452 lb) Vehicle hardware: 178 kg (392 lb) Spacewalk equipment: 63 kg (139 lb) Computer resources: 21 kg (46 lb) Russian hardware: 12 kg (26 lb) External payloads: 985 kg (2,172 lb) ECOSTRESS: 550 kg (1,213 lb) Latching End Effector: 435 kg (959 lb)

Gallery

See also Uncrewed spaceflights to the International Space Station List of Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launches 2018 in spaceflight Artworks launched into space Birds-2

References

External links Media related to SpaceX CRS-15 at Wikimedia Commons Dragon website at SpaceX.com Commercial Resupply Services at NASA.gov

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with SpaceX CRS-15

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what SpaceX CRS-15 claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to SpaceX CRS-15 before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about SpaceX CRS-15 ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of SpaceX CRS-15

In research: SpaceX CRS-15 appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses SpaceX CRS-15 in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: SpaceX CRS-15 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics SpaceX Dragon 1, SpaceX payloads contracted by NASA, Spacecraft launched by Falcon 9 Block 4 rockets, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for SpaceX CRS-15 outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study SpaceX CRS-15 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what SpaceX CRS-15 means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain SpaceX CRS-15 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is SpaceX CRS-15 in simple terms?

Why does SpaceX CRS-15 matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study SpaceX CRS-15?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on SpaceX CRS-15.