After the unveiling on Sunday, NASA astronauts Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover Jr., astronauts Shannon Wakerkar and Sochi Noguchi with the Japanese space agency were welcomed early Tuesday by NASA astronaut Kate Rubins and Russian cosmonauts Sergey Kyivs. Sverkov.
And maybe no one is more excited than Glover. It’s the astronaut’s first trip to space – and by all accounts, he hasn’t stopped laughing since he arrived.
Glover is the first full-time black crew member on the space station.
“When the engine was cut off and we were in orbit, it was surreal,” Glover said at a news conference from the space station on Thursday. “I’ve seen a ton of pictures, but when I first looked out the window on Earth I had no words. It was the most wonderful feeling of a lifetime.”
The rest of his crew is just as excited. When they hit zero gravity, their crew turned to Glover and said, “We’re in space!”
And as soon as Glover came out of the hatch, Rubins ran to greet him and threw his hand out. “Oh my God, you’re here!” She exclaimed with joy.
Floating is new to Glover for extended periods of time. Earlier, he experienced a few seconds floating as a Navy test pilot. “But swimming for extended periods is really amazing,” he said. “My brain is constantly trying to figure out which way to go. It’s an interesting challenge, one I find a little fun. I’m writing notes so I can focus on this later.”
Glover said he has experienced emotions. Getting closer to the space station inspires awe and joy, but he is also eager to get work done and contribute.
Glover, an advocate for social justice and planetary security, said the space station’s visit strengthened his resolve.
“I believe that what I have said and what I have tried to work for is just right. To be honest and clear with people, and then to act for what is true.” He said. “And I think doing the right thing is always in order. So looking at the planet from this point of view – to see the earth and these beautiful land seas and the words or seas drawn on them – it just raises an awareness that the planet needs protection, and Human life needs protection, and we are the ones who have to protect it. “
“I hope this (mission) inspires people to look at it literally and figuratively, especially as 2020 approaches.”
Crowded quarters
The orbit lab is getting a little crowded, but well.
“He’s engaged in a great way,” Rubins said. “There’s energy here and people are zooming in. There’s a lot going on on the space station. And we’ll be able to discern a large amount of research. The amount of scientific output from this mission would be incredible.”
Rubins was relieved. Astronauts also spend a significant portion of their time maintaining the space station, as well as conducting hundreds of science experiments.
The crew estimates that the space station’s U.S. It will take them a few weeks to keep five people by their side.
Vaker Kare said, “There has been some traffic jam due to the modules going to the place.
Hopkins added, “We need to find out how the five people work around here without getting into each other.
The crew had been busy arriving from the hatch since early Tuesday morning. Once they are settled, the crew will share the wealth of experiments currently underway at the station and make further preparations starting December 2.
“Science investigators have been waiting a long time for this moment,” Hopkins said. “We’ll see how much science can get out of this space station.”
Sleeping in a spaceship
Hopkins will have an unusual sleeping arrangement compared to the rest of his teammates. While their crew quarters are on the space station, the Hopkins will be in a resilience capsule docked with the space station.
The crew went through the last two days moving the cargo so it could go inside.
Hopkins served as commander of the SpaceX crew vehicle for the launch.
During the shuttle era, there was a tradition of supplying the commander of shuttle ferrying components and the space station to sleep on the shuttle, Hopkins said, so it “felt right” to continue that custom.
And the slightly cooler temperature of the vehicle suits it properly.
However, Hopkins is wary of protecting the spacecraft as it is their ride home in six months.
“One of the things I do when I spend time in things is that I don’t want to do anything to hurt him when I’m going inside,” Hopkins said. “I can use it as my bedroom, but it’s also what we’ll find at home.”
Hopkins said he would probably spend less time in the craft than if he had his own crew quarters on the space station.
Baby Yoda’s wild ride
While Mission a is a historic first in partnership with NASA and SpaceX and the agency’s commercial crew program, none other than Baby Yoda has done what some roar has stolen.
Viewers who came to watch the launch on Sunday night saw Baby Yoda moving from the cabin of the resilient spacecraft. The toy served as a zero gravity indicator. It is a long-standing tradition of spaceflight where every crew chooses a toy to ride. When the toy starts to swim in the cabin, the crew knows they have reached space.
Crew-1 astronauts decided on Baby Yoda after watching the “The Mandal Nodorian” series.
“It’s hard not to like Baby Yoda,” Hopkins said. “It’s associated with the name of our spacecraft, resilience. It’s been a tough year. The fact that NASA and SpaceX can prepare us to go all year and epidemic, we’re inspired by everyone’s resilience.”
Hopkins talked about the motivation factor of spaceflight, especially during years like 2020.
“Baby Yoda does the same thing, it puts a smile on everyone’s face,” Hopkins said. “It also seemed right for our crew. We have a lot of fun and we have a lot of fun. Still I think the space ride was a bit more than the way Baby Yoda rides.”
That said, if you’ve watched recent episodes of “The Mandarin”, “Din Dzarin (played by Pedro Pascal) and his razor crest spacecraft are not known to travel very slowly through a distant galaxy.”
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