NASA astronauts Bob Behnken (L) and Doug Hurley speak to the media after arriving at the Kennedy Space Center on May 20, 2020 in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The astronauts arrived for the May 27th scheduled inaugural flight of SpaceXs Crew Dragon spacecraft. Photo: AFP/Getty Images/Joe Raedle/
NASA astronauts prepare for SpaceX Crew Dragon Capsule launch
NASA and SpaceX are pressing ahead with plans to launch astronauts to space from US soil for the first time in nearly a decade on 27 May, despite the coronavirus pandemic.
NASA astronauts Bob Behnken (L) and Doug Hurley speak to the media after arriving at the Kennedy Space Center on May 20, 2020 in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The astronauts arrived for the May 27th scheduled inaugural flight of SpaceXs Crew Dragon spacecraft. Photo: AFP/Getty Images/Joe Raedle/
The two astronauts who will “end a nine-year drought for NASA”, as described by Phys.Org, arrived at the Kennedy Space Centre this week in preparation for the historic NASA/SpaceX flight.
Spaceflight is returning to America
Spaceflight is finally returning to US soil after nearly a decade of NASA being reliant on Russian Soyuz rockets for crewed flights to and from the International Space Station (ISS).
NASA confirmed that SpaceX’s Falcon 9 booster aboard the Crew Dragon spacecraft will be sending two American astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) on 27 May 2020.
Astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley have been training for years for the mission, which would move the United States closer to no longer being reliant on Russia for crewed flights.
Behnken and Douglas have been flying to the ISS on Soyuz rockets since the US shuttle program ended nine years ago. Hurley said, “it’s been a long road”; he is looking forward to being one of the first humans to fly in the Crew Dragon capsule.
Falcon 9 and Dragon 2
Since 2008, the Falcon 9 rocket has delivered at least 20 000 kg of cargo to the International Space Station. After this, the Falcon 9 rocket will retire and be replaced by an upgraded Dragon 2 Capsule for all resupply missions to the ISS.
Dragon 2 will be able to dock itself to the orbital outpost of the station, and will likely be able to dock and undock itself from the station’s port autonomously.
The capsule was successfully tested with a dummy back in 2019. Speaking about the upcoming mission, and about making history, Behnken added:
“This is an awesome time to be an astronaut, with a new spacecraft”.
Spaceflight during COVID-19
Both astronauts have been in quarantine in Houston since 13 May 2020 in an effort to protect themselves and crew members aboard the ISS from the spread of COVID-19.
The space agency decided to go ahead with the crewed mission in May, despite the novel coronavirus being declared a pandemic back in January.
To adhere to the new norm of a pandemic-riddled world, the 27 May launch will occur without the usual crowds of spectators.
SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule
This is the first US program to be carried out as a public-private partnership. The Crew Dragon capsule is a modified version of SpaceX’s Dragon capsule which has been used to send supplies to the ISS since 2012.
It will take approximately 24 hours after liftoff for them to dock with the ISS. The length of their stay aboard the ISS has not been determined. One American astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts are currently aboard the ISS.
The launch will take place at 20:32 GMT (22:32 South African Standard Time) on 27 May from the historic launch pad 39A, the same one used for the Apollo and space shuttle missions, at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
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