[ad_1]
The Crew Dragon spacecraft with 4 astronauts heading to the International Space Station launched last night. The mission is the result of a collaboration between Elon Musk’s SpaceX and NASA. The astronauts are the three Americans Michael Hopkins, mission commander, Victor Glover and Shannon Walker, and the Japanese Soichi Noguchi, who took off on the local night from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
“It’s a great day for the United States of America and a great day for Japan,” NASA number one Jim Bridenstine said at a post-launch press conference.
Twelve minutes after lift-off, at an altitude of 124 miles (200 kilometers) and a speed of 16,800 miles (27,000 kilometers) per hour, the capsule successfully separated from the second stage of the rocket. The spacecraft is expected to arrive at the International Space Station in the late afternoon of the United States, tomorrow at 4 a.m. in Europe, and the astronauts will remain there for 6 months.
US Vice President Mike Pence (“A New Era of Human Space Exploration”) attended the Florida game, while the successful launch was greeted by President Donald Trump (“great!”) And President-elect Joe Biden.
“A great launch! NASA was close to disaster when we took control of it. It is now once again the most ‘attractive’ and advanced space center in the world, by far, “said The Donald.
A great launch! @POT It was a closed mess when we took over. Now it is once again the “hottest” and most advanced space center in the world, by far! https://t.co/CDCGdO74Yb
– Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 16, 2020
Congratulations to NASA and SpaceX on today’s launch. It is a testament to the power of science and what we can achieve by harnessing our innovation, ingenuity, and determination. I join all Americans and the people of Japan in wishing the astronauts good luck on your journey.
– Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) November 16, 2020
[ad_2]
