science

SpaceX CRS-20

SpaceX CRS-20 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-20 rather than just read about it. In short: SpaceX CRS-20, also known as SpX-20, was a Commercial Resupply Services mission to the International Space Station (ISS) launched on 7 March 2020. The mission was contracted by NASA and flown by SpaceX.

Key takeaways

SpaceX CRS-20 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-20 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of SpaceX CRS-20 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

SpaceX CRS-20, also known as SpX-20, was a Commercial Resupply Services mission to the International Space Station (ISS) launched on 7 March 2020. The mission was contracted by NASA and flown by SpaceX. It was the final flight of Dragon 1 and concluded the NASA Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-1) contract extension. The second contract (CRS-2) was awarded in January 2016 and began with SpaceX CRS-21 in December 2020 using Cargo Dragon.

History In February 2016, it was announced that NASA had awarded a contract extension to SpaceX for five additional CRS missions (CRS-16 to CRS-20). A June 2016 NASA OIG report indicated the mission was manifested for 2019, but by June 2019 the launch had been pushed back to March 2020. As the final flight of Dragon 1, CRS-20 concluded NASA's initial Commercial Resupply Services contract. Across the contract's 19 successful missions, Dragon carried 43,000 kg (94,000 pounds) of cargo to the International Space Station, and returned about 33,000 kg (74,000 pounds) of equipment and specimens to Earth.

Mission CRS-20 utilized Dragon capsule C112, which previously flew to the ISS on CRS-10 and CRS-16. It was launched aboard Falcon 9 from Space Launch Complex 40 at 4:50 UTC on 7 March 2020. The first stage booster, B1059.2, previously supported the CRS-19 mission. Dragon arrived at the ISS on 9 March 2020 at 10:25 UTC and was captured by the station's robotic arm, marking the last capture of a Dragon spacecraft. Cargo Dragon, which replaced Dragon 1, docks directly with the space station.

Payload

NASA contracted for the CRS-20 mission from SpaceX and therefore determined the primary payload, date of launch, and orbital parameters for the Dragon CRS. The CRS-20 mission carried 1977 kg of cargo to ISS.

Science investigations: 960 kg Vehicle hardware: 219 kg Crew supplies: 273 kg Spacewalk equipment: 56 kg Computer resources: 1 kg Unpressurized payloads: Bartolomeo Platform 468 kg Bartolomeo (named for the younger brother of explorer Christopher Columbus), is an external payload platform developed by Airbus and operated by the European Space Agency. Bartolomeo provides power and data transmission for up to 12 payload slots and is the first external commercial research platform to be installed on the ISS. The Bartolomeo platform was removed from Dragon's trunk section and installed outside ISS on 2 April 2020. A spacewalk to route power and communication wiring to the Bartolomeo facility for activation has been postponed. The EVA was originally planned in mid-April 2020, but the space station will not be at full staffing level of six crew members until autumn 2020. When activated, Columbus will have a new outdoor deck to host a range of materials science, Earth observation and space science instruments. Interoperable Radio System (IORS) is the foundation element of the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) next-generation radio system aboard the ISS. A total of 4 flight units are being built by the ARISS hardware team. The first IORS radio system launched aboard CRS-20 and was installed in the Columbus module by Expedition 63 Commander Chris Cassidy on 2 September 2020. System activation was first observed at 01:02 UTC on 2 September 2020 by ARISS control station and amateur radio ground operators. Initial operation of the new radio system began as an FM cross band repeater. A second IORS flight unit is expected to be launched on a later flight for installation in the Zvezda module. Dragon was also packed with spare parts and replacement hardware for the space station's research facilities and life support systems. The components included upgraded hardware for the station's urine processing system, which converts human waste into drinking water. The new components allow NASA teams to test out modifications designed to extend the lifetime of the urine processing system's distillation assembly ahead of future missions to the Moon and Mars, which will require longer-lasting life support equipment.

Gallery

See also Columbus External Payload Facility Amateur Radio on the International Space Station SpaceX CRS-21 List of Falcon 9 launches

References

External links NASA SpaceX official page for the Dragon spacecraft Amateur Radio on the ISS (ARISS) Bartolomeo Platform – Airbus Bartolomeo contract

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with SpaceX CRS-20

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what SpaceX CRS-20 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-20 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-20 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-20

In research: SpaceX CRS-20 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-20 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-20 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics March 2020 in the United States, SpaceX Dragon 1, SpaceX payloads contracted by NASA, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for SpaceX CRS-20 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-20 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what SpaceX CRS-20 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-20 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is SpaceX CRS-20 in simple terms?

Why does SpaceX CRS-20 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-20?

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-20.