both of which provide advice to Congress.

a senior scientist with the space station program.and the Dragon was released to fly on its own about 12 minutes after liftoff.

Among the equipment being delivered to the station is an experimental high-speed laser communications package designed to send and receive data encoded in infrared laser beams at much higher rates than possible with traditional radio systems.roughly the moment Earths rotation carried the seaside firing stand directly into the plane of the space stations orbit.deputy space station program manager at the Johnson Space Center.

500 pounds of equipment and supplies.and some fun holiday treats for the crew.

kicking off a 32-hour rendezvous with the International Space Station to deliver 6.

The equipment will be tested for six months as a technology demonstration.have no natural predators in Colombia and have been declared an invasive species that could upset the ecosystem.

and that if no measures are taken.Experts say sterilization alone is not enough to control the growth of the invasive species.

The plan includes sterilizing 40 hippos each year.environmental authorities said.