Cygnus cargo
author: NASA/Novapix
reference: e-is038-03050
Image Size 300 DPI: 24 * 36 cm
The International Space Station's Canadarm2 unberths the Orbital Sciences Corporation's Cygnus spacecraft after several weeks at the space station. NASA astronaut Mike Hopkins, with assistance from Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Koichi Wakata, both Expedition 38 flight engineers, used the station's 57-foot Canadarm2 robotic arm to detach Cygnus from the Earth-facing port of the Harmony node at 5:15 a.m. (EST) on Feb. 18, 2014. While Wakata monitored data and kept in contact with the team at Houston's Mission Control Center, Hopkins released Cygnus from the robotic arm at 6:41 a.m. Earth's horizon and the blackness of space provide the backdrop for the scene.