Updated: November 11, 2020 8:33:20 pm
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company’s Crew Dragon spacecraft on board is seen on the launch pad of Launch Complex 39A after being launched overnight as preparations continue for the Crew-1 mission, Tuesday, 10 November 2020, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. in Florida. (Source: NASA via AP)
On November 14, SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft will lift off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida with a crew of four to the International Space Station (ISS) on a six-month mission.
Significantly, just before the mission, on Tuesday, NASA certified SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule and Falcon 9 rocket, making it the first spacecraft certification provided by the space agency. This means that SpaceX can now operate regular flights to the space station.
Boeing and SpaceX were selected by NASA in September 2014 to develop transportation systems intended to move the US crew to the ISS. “These integrated spacecraft, rockets, and associated systems will carry up to four astronauts on NASA missions, maintaining a space station crew of seven to maximize time spent on scientific research in the orbiting laboratory,” says the website of The NASA.
Beginnings of May, NASA’s SpaceX Demo-2 test flight took off for the ISS, becoming the first manned flight to be launched from US soil since the conclusion of the space shuttle era in 2011. 📣 Express Explained is now on Telegram
So what is the Crew-1 mission?
The mission is part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, which aims to facilitate access to space in terms of its cost, so that cargo and crew can be easily transported to and from the ISS, allowing for further scientific research. .
The Crew-1 mission will launch agency astronauts Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover and Shannon Walker along with Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) mission specialist Soichi Noguchi from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center. On the ISS, the crew will join members of Expedition 64, the space station crew that currently resides on the ISS.
NASA astronauts from left: Victor Glover, Michael Hopkins, Shannon Walker and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Soichi Noguchi pose for a photo during a press conference after their arrival at the Kennedy Space Center, on Sunday, November 8, 2020 at Cape Canaveral. Fla. The four astronauts will fly the SpaceX Crew-1 mission to the International Space Station, which is scheduled to launch on November 14, 2020 (AP Photo).
Significantly, Crew-1 will be the first operational flight of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft on a Falcon 9 rocket to the ISS and is the first of three scheduled flights scheduled over the course of 2020-2021.
What will Crew-1 members do on the ISS?
The mission objectives are the same as those of Expedition 1 that took off 20 years ago. NASA has described these two ISS missions as “historic.” On the ISS, the Crew-1 team will join members of Expedition 64 in conducting microgravity studies and delivering new science hardware and experiments that they will take with them into space aboard the Crew Dragon spacecraft.
Some of the research the crew brings with them includes materials to investigate the physiology of food, which will study the effects of dietary improvements on immune function and the gut microbiome and how those improvements can help crews adapt to spaceflight. . Once in orbit, NASA astronaut Glover will collect samples to provide data to scientists on Earth so they can continue to study how changes in diet affect your body.
Another experiment aboard Crew Dragon is a student-designed experiment titled “Genes in Space-7” that aims to understand how spaceflight affects brain function.
Other experiments include investigations that will allow scientists to understand the physical interactions of liquids, rocks and microorganisms, experiment on the role of microgravity in human health and another on how microgravity affects heart tissue.
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