Japan Readies for Launch of Cargo Ship to ISS on July 20 EDT

As America celebrates the 43rd anniversary of the first human landing on the Moon tomorrow, July 20, it can also celebrate the current era of international cooperation in human spaceflight as Japan launches its HTV-3 cargo spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS) where it will be met by an international crew of American, Russian and Japanese astronauts.
While the lunar Apollo program was a testament to U.S. engineering prowess, more recent human spaceflight programs have relied on international expertise. Europe's Spacelab module was a significant part of the space shuttle program and the space station program was international virtually from the start, with Europe, Japan and Canada officially signing on in 1988. Russia joined in 1993.
Japan's Aki Hoshide arrived aboard the ISS earlier this week along with American Suni Williams and Russian Yuri Malenchenko. They joined Russia's Gennady Padalka and Sergei Revin and NASA's Joe Acaba who already were aboard. The six are now implementing "Expedition 32" in the ISS's 11th year of permanent occupancy by international crews.
They will welcome four tons of supplies being delivered by Japan's HTV-3 cargo spacecraft, or Kounotori-3, in the coming days.
Launch is scheduled for 10:18 pm tomorrow night ...