Ukungena kwiZibonelelo zeNkonzo eziNgozi zokuLawulwa (Ifoto: Robin Seemangal)
Ukuma kwindawo yezentengiselwano yaseKennedy Space Centre eFlorida yiPayload Hazardous Service Facility (PHSF) apho i-Orbital ATK's 20.5-foot-long, cylindrical Cygnus spacecraft ilayishwe ngaphezulu kwe-7,000 lbs yemithwalo kwaye kwinqanaba lokugqibela lokulungiselela Ukujoliswa kwe-3th kaDisemba i-ISS.
Kwiinyanga ezi-5 emva kogqabhuko-dubulo lwe-SpaceX Falcon 9 ngexesha lokuphindiselwa kwenkonzo yokuhanjiswa kwemithwalo 7 kunye nonyaka omnye emva kogqabhuko lwerokethi yeAntares ngexesha lothumo lokugqibela lokuvuselela i-Orbital ATK, i-Braganca Innovation ijoyine i-NASA kunye ne-Orbital ATK njengoko belungiselela ukumiliselwa okubalulekileyo okuza kuqhubeka kwakhona ukuthumela izinto kwiSitishi saMazwe ngaMazwe sngaphandle koncedo lwamaJapan okanye amaRashiya. 
(Ifoto: Thaddeus Cesari)
Ngaphambi kokungena kwam kwigumbi elicocekileyo leziko, ingcali yezokhuseleko ye-NASA uDon Clarkson wachaza ukuba indawo leyo ikhuselekile kakhulu kodwa inezinto ezinobungozi ekufuneka ndizilungiselele. Ezi zinto zibandakanya i-450 KG ye-Anhydrous Hydrazine kunye ne-375 KG ye-Nitrogen Tetroxide- imixube yeekhemikhali esetyenziswe kwi-rocket propellent. Ndayalelwa ukuba ndifunde indawo yokuphuma xa ndingena kweli ziko kwaye ndilumke xa kufuneka kukhutshwe ngokukhawuleza.
Ukuma kwam okokuqala kweli ziko yayikukujongwa kwezokhuseleko apho ibheji yam ekhutshwe yi-NASA yathathwa yabekwa eludongeni kanye ecaleni kwebheji yeOrbital ATK Mission Manager kunye nowayesakuba ngusomajukujuku we-ISS uDaniel M. Tani owayekho ukuzokuchaza amandongomane kunye iibholiti zomishini. Ndixhobe nge-ego yam esandula ukungeniswa kunye neebhulukhwe zeblue eziluhlaza ezingalunganga ncam ezinyaweni zam, ndaqhubeka ndaya kwindawo etshintshayo.
Ndikhuliswe ngokukhawuleza ngabasebenzi beNASA kwaye ndanikwa isuti ecocekileyo ukuba ndiphose iimpahla zam. Kwiifilimu eziyinyani zesayensi nakwimidlalo bhanyabhanya eyonwabisayo, kuhlala kukho amagumbi angaqhelekanga apho abantu banxibe iisuti ezithile bemi khona okwemizuzwana embalwa ngelixa kuvuthelwa imijelo yomoya kubo. Okwangoku, andinalwazi lokuba eli gumbi okanye ibhafu yomoya indikhusele njani okanye isiphekepheke kungcoliseko.
Sele ndindwendwele iSakhiwo seNdibano yeZithuthi esikhudlwana kunye nobomi kunye neZiko lokuCwangciswa kweSitishi saMazwe ngaMazwe, bendicinga ukuba isimanga esiqhelekileyo endikhe ndafumana ingxelo kulo nyaka uphelileyo kunikwa ingxelo kwiKennedy Space Centre bekuya kunciphisa uloyiko lwam. Bendingalunganga. Ukuhamba kwi-bay ephezulu ethiywe ngokufanelekileyo ukuphakama kwayo nkqo, kuxhokonxa umbono.
Igumbi ligcwele itekhnoloji engaziwayo, iihardhats, izixhobo zorhwebo ezinzima kunye nezixhobo ezincinci ezifumaneka kwiworkshop esemgangathweni. Njengakuwo onke amaziko endiwajongileyo kwiziko leNASA leKennedy Space, itekhnoloji esetyenziswayo sisiphatho esidala nesitsha. 
Ifoto: URobin Seemangal
Okwangoku kuhleli i-high-bay yi-Orbital ATK's Cygnus spacecraft esime nkqo phakathi kwamacandelo amabini okhuselo lwaso njengeqela leenjineli ezenza uhlolo kunye nohlengahlengiso kwinqanawe yemodyuli yempahla. Emva kweCygnus kukho iingcango zokungena ezinde kwindawo yokuHlawula yokuHlawula yokuHlawula yokuLinganisa enobungakanani obuyi-35 ft ububanzi kunye no-75 ft ukuphakama. Yonke inkonzo bay ibude obungama-70 eenyawo kunye neenyawo ezili-110 ubude. 
Ifoto: URobin Seemangal
Emva kokuba kubethelelwe umhlaba kunyaka ophelileyo wokuqhushumba kwabo irokethi yeAntares, iOrbital ATK inomdla wokubuyela kwinqwelomoya kwaye igxininisa ukubaluleka kokuqalisa kwakhona ukuhanjiswa kwempahla kwiSitishi saMazwe ngaMazwe. I-NASA kunye ne-Orbital bebecwangcise le mishini kangangeenyanga ezi-6 elilixesha elicinezelekileyo xa ucinga ukuba i-Orbital ATK kufuneka ihambise izixhobo zayo kwilizwe liphela kwaye ihlanganise abasebenzi babo abasebenza.
Isiphekepheke seCygnus sikhona kuphela ngenjongo yokuphinda sisebenzise i-ISS efuna malunga ne-33,000 lbs yezixhobo minyaka le kubasebenzi aba-6 abahlala kwaye basebenze kwisitishi sendawo. Ukuthetha kum nabanye abambalwa, uManejala we-Orbital ATK Mission uDaniel M. Tani ucacisile ukuba uchithe iminyaka eli-16 njenge-Astronaut ehlala iinyanga ezi-4 esikhululweni sendawo kwaye ukunika abo bafana ukutya kunye nezikipa kufutshane kwaye sithandwa sentliziyo yam.
Kunye noMlawuli uScott Kelly opapashwe kakhulu 'unyaka esithubeni' uphando, abasebenzi bangoku be-Expedition 45 bachitha ixesha labo elininzi besenza iimvavanyo zesayensi. Oku kubangela inani elikhulu lezinto ezilayishwe kwiCygnus njengoko abasebenzi befuna indawo yokugcina izinto rhoqo Cinga ngesikhululo sendawo njengeWinnebago enzima kakhulu kwaye ngekhe ume eWal-Mart nakwiPep Boys ukuze yonke into ohamba nayo ukufuna okanye ukuqikelela ukuba uyakufuna kwaye nesithuthi kufuneka sibekhona phezulu kwaye sibekwe ngaphambili, ucacisile uTani. Kwakungacaci ukuba wayebhekisa ngokuthe ngqo kwi-Spaceballs zakudala zaseMel Brook. 
Umphathi Wezomthetho we-Orbital ATK nowayesakuba yi-Astronaut uDaniel M. Tani (Ifoto: Robin Seemangal)
Ngabasebenzi abakhoyo ngoku be-6, i-NASA kufuneka iqinisekise ukuba ukutya okuninzi kusiwa kwisikhululo sendawo esikhokelela kukutya okungama-6,000 okungenani okubandakanyiweyo kwimithwalo yemithwalo minyaka le. Akunakwenzeka ukuba udwelise zonke iintlobo zokutya ezisetyenziswe kwi-ISS kodwa imenyu ibandakanya iziqhamo zonke kunye nezitya ezifuna i-hydration njenge-mac kunye netshizi okanye ipasta. Ukutya kukhethwe ukulungiselela ukuba zeziphi izixhobo ezikhoyo ezifunyanwa ngabasebenzi be-ISS. Ngelixa i-oveni yokufudumeza ukutya inokusetyenziswa, ayinayo ifriji yokugcina izinto ezinokonakala.
I-ketchup, i-mustard kunye ne-mayonnaise zibandakanyiwe kwimishini yokuvuselela imithwalo kodwa ityuwa nepepile zifumaneka kuphela kwifom engamanzi. Ngenxa yokunqongophala komxhuzulane, oosomajukujuku abakwazi ukufafaza la manzi ekutyeni kwabo kuba aya kudada aphume kwaye mhlawumbi angene emehlweni abo. Ityuwa eqhelekileyo kunye no Pepper zinokungcolisa izixhobo okanye zivalwe iivenkile zomoya ezikufutshane. Ngokubhekiselele kwiziselo; iti, ikofu, ilamonade kunye nejusi yeorenji ziyafumaneka.
Kunye nezinto eziqhelekileyo ezibandakanyiweyo kwimishini yokuphinda ibuye, isiphekepheke seCygnus siza kutsala isithuba esikhulu nesinzima esifuna ukhathalelo olongezelelekileyo ngexesha lokubekwa kwi-capsule. Kwakhona ebhodini zimbalwa iisathelayithi eziza kubhabha kwisitishi sithuba ekufikeni kwazo kwaye zisasazwe kwindawo engena moya kwisithuba sendawo.
Emva kokumiliselwa ukusuka eKapa eKanaga nge-3 kaDisemba ngo-3 kusetyenziswa irokhethi ye-United Launch Alliance Atlas V, isiphekepheke saseCygnus siyakukhokelwa ngabalawuli bomhlaba ukuba baqhube ngononophelo kufutshane ne-ISS de kube usomajukujuku uKjell Lindgren angayibamba ngengalo yesitishi eyakhiwe ngeRobhothi. I-cygnus iya kuthi ke ibekwe kwi-ISS kwaye ihlale apho kangangeeveki ezi-3 de ibe ilayishwe ngokupheleleyo ngezinto zenkunkuma emva koko ikhutshelwe ukutshisa ukujikeleza komhlaba. 
I-Orbital ATK Cygnus Spacecraft (Ifoto: URobin Seemangal)
URobin Seemangal ujolise kwi-NASA kunye nokukhuthaza ukukhangelwa kwendawo. Wazalelwa kwaye wakhulela eBrooklyn, apho ahlala khona ngoku. Mfumane I-Instagram Umxholo onxulumene nesithuba: @not_gatsby.
