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Despite the pandemic, NASA and SpaceX are still planning to implement the first manned space flight from U.S. territory since 2011 shortly.
NASA astronauts Bob Behnken (left) and Doug Hurley photographed during a test March 30. If all goes well, the two will be the first astronauts to travel to the ISS space station with the new Crew Dragon spacecraft.
Scanpix SpaceX / AP / NTB
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The planned shooting from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on May 27 has not been canceled, the US Space Agency. USA And the private company testified before the weekend.
Astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley will be crews on the Crew Dragon spacecraft. Both are veterans with experience in the space shuttle program, which was completed after 30 years in 2011.
Developed by SpaceX with support from NASA, Crew Dragon will be the fifth in the series of US manned spacecraft. USA, says NASA chief Jim Bridenstine.
Mercury, Gemini, Apollo and the space shuttle appeared in the news daily from the early 1960s until July 21, 2011, when the space shuttle Atlantis last landed.
Since then, the United States has had to rent space on Russian Sojuz ships to transport its astronauts to and from the ISS International Space Station.
NASA veterans Bob Behnken (right) and Doug Hurley during a SpaceX press conference in Hawthorne, California, in April. Despite the pandemic, the plan is for the two to travel to the ISS space station on May 27 in a newly developed spacecraft.
Scanpix by Alex Gallardo / AP / NTB
Prestige and money
US authorities have embarked on a new strategy in which private companies will account for the “short” missions of the ISS, while NASA itself is working on spacecraft for future trips to distant destinations.
NASA’s own Orion capsule was tested unmanned once, in December 2014. A new unmanned test is slated for next year, and a manned trip around the moon may take place in late 2022.
Therefore, it is up to SpaceX and its competitor Boeing to be the first to send astronauts into space from American Earth in a newly developed space capsule. After Boeing’s first attempt to send an unmanned edition of its Starliner capsule to the ISS, SpaceX appears to be winning.
The stakes are high, both in terms of prestige and money. According to CNBC, since 2014 NASA has paid $ 2.5 billion to SpaceX and $ 4.3 billion to Boeing for the development of the spacecraft and the first trips.
The last time a manned spacecraft was shot down from US soil was on July 8, 2011, when the Atlantis spacecraft completed its final voyage.
Scanpix Phil Sandlin / AÅ / NTB
– Stay at home!
_ If you look at it globally, this is the ninth time in history that we are sending people with a newly developed spaceship, says Bridenstine.
– We are doing this right in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic. I will tell you that this is a mission that has a high priority for the United States, he continues. Bridenstine also emphasized that NASA is asking people not to travel to Cape Canaveral to see the shooting.
– Just saying it makes me sad. I really hoped we could make this really spectacular, ”he says.
Astronauts Behnken and Hurley have been training for the mission for years. They will dock the craft at the space station and stay there for one to four months, depending on how quickly the next trip can be completed, says NASA’s Steve Stich.
Crew Dragon can stay in the room for up to four months.
milestone
If the trip goes well, it will be a major milestone for Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
The company, founded in 2002, has managed to turn aviation giant Boeing around. They have already transported cargo to ISS since 2012, and with the help of their reusable transporter rocket Falcon 9 it has established itself as one of the most important in the industry.
– I’ll be a little relieved when they’re in orbit. I will be more relieved when they are on the space station and of course when they return to Earth I will start sleeping again, says the head of the company, Gwynne Shotwell.
The launch will take place at 10:42 p.m. Norwegian time on May 27, and the Crew Dragon is scheduled to connect to the ISS 19 hours later.
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