First Space Flight With Humans From US for Nearly 10 Years Set for Launch

Zachary Stieber
By Zachary Stieber
May 27, 2020US News
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First Space Flight With Humans From US for Nearly 10 Years Set for Launch
Workers prepare the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the Crew Dragon spacecraft attached for liftoff from launch pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., on May 26, 2020. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

The first manned spaceflight to launch from the United States since 2011 is slated to take off on Wednesday, depending on the weather.

“We are once again launching American astronauts on American rockets from American soil,” Jim Bridenstine, the administrator of NASA, told reporters at Florida’s Kennedy Space Center on Tuesday. “This is a big moment in time. It’s been nine years since we had this opportunity.”

The chances for favorable weather for launch increased to 60 percent, NASA officials said about 24 hours before the instantaneous launch window opens.

If the flight requires delay, backup windows were identified on May 30 and May 31.

Since 2011, American astronauts headed to the International Space Station needed to travel to Russia before leaving Earth. They’ll now take off from the United States on SpaceX capsules, powered by rockets that can land on platforms and be reused.

SpaceX, founded by billionaire Elon Musk, will be the first private company to fly humans to the space station. Orbiting about 250 miles above Earth, the station—about the size of a football field—typically houses six astronauts who conduct scientific experiments.

NTD Photo
The SpaceX Falcon 9, with the Crew Dragon spacecraft on top of the rocket, sits on Launch Pad 39-A at Kennedy Space Center, Fla., on May 25, 2020. (David J. Phillip/AP Photo)

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket will propel the Crew Dragon capsule carrying NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken to the station, accelerating to a speed of approximately 17,000 miles per hour during a trip that will take around 24 hours.

The mission, called Demo-2, is the final step in certifying the capsule for longer missions, with plans to reach the Moon and Mars in coming years.

In years past, NASA built and operated its own spacecraft. The space agency is shifting into the role of a customer, purchasing rockets, capsule, and other crafts from SpaceX, with interest in doing the same with other companies in the future.

Plans are already well underway for the Crew Dragon’s second operational mission, set for an August launch. One of the astronauts on that capsule will be Japanese, Bridenstine said.

Most slots on the station are taken by Americans or Russians. The two countries each own half of the station, which was built over 10 years starting in 1998.

NTD Photo
A cargo ship arrives at the International Space Station on April 19, 2019. (NASA via AP)

President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence will be among those watching in-person at the center. The number of viewers there will be reduced because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Crew Dragon will remain at the space station for an undetermined amount of time before taking Hurley and Behnken back to Earth.

The main priority of the mission is to test the capsule and get the astronauts to the station and back safely.

The solar arrays on the capsule are limited to about 114 days, according to Bridenstine. Forecasters and engineers also need to pinpoint a day with proper weather for the return.

“If we have a good window to come home, and they’re not necessary on the International Space Station, we will be taking it,” he said.

SpaceX Crew Capsule
NASA astronauts Bob Behnken (R) with Doug Hurley talk to the media in front of the Crew Dragon spacecraft, about the progress to fly astronauts to and from the International Space Station, from American soil, as part of the agency’s commercial crew program at SpaceX headquarters, in Hawthorne, Calif., on Oct. 10, 2019. (Alex Gallardo/AP Photo)

Behnken, 49, a former U.S. Air Force test pilot, flew twice to the International Space Station, most recently in February 2010, logging more than 708 hours in space.

“I’m just really excited,” Behnken said in a press conference on May 1. Calling it “a dream of every test pilot school student to fly on a brand new spaceship,” he said he wished his son was with him.

Hurley, 53, a former fighter pilot in the U.S. Marine Corps, also flew twice to space.

“We as astronauts, you cherish every flight assignment if you want to continue to fly in space,” Hurley said. “I’m excited to be a part of the mission.”

From The Epoch Times

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