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From the launch of Cape Canaveral, in the early hours of Monday, until arrival at the International Space Station, it was 27 hours and 33 minutes of flight, but the follow-up time for the entire Crew-1 mission was much longer, since Astronauts began the process of settling into the Crew Dragon capsule until they finally entered the Station, around 6:40 am in mainland Portugal. All eyes followed the historic mission, which officially recovers the launch of astronauts from US soil, with the first commercial trip, in partnership with SpaceX.
The four astronauts, the Americans Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover and Shannon Walker, and the Japanese Soichi Noguchi of the Japanese Space Agency (JAXA), expressed their satisfaction with the way that the entire trip passed without incident and joined the team that already was on board the International Space Station, and they were part of Expedition 64. In their luggage, the new occupants of the “house” of the astronauts orbiting the Earth took with them a baby Yoda, which served as a microgravity test and that was to start a social media star.
The Crew-1 mission began its journey to the International Space Station (ISS) after a successful launch of the Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s John F. Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Monday morning at 12:27 am in Lisbon.
SAPO TEK closely followed the entire route, between the preparations and the 27 hours and 33 minutes of flight, plus the arrival at the Space Station at 4 am today, and the long process of stabilization and pressure equalization between the Station. . Space and Crew Dragon, until the two hatches were opened so that the astronauts could finally meet.
The first official mission to join SpaceX and NASA, in a set of six that are planned in the Commercial Crew Program, is another step towards a new era of regular manned flights from North American territory. In March, the Demo-2 mission was successful and now NASA and SpaceX confirm the same success with Crew-1, which traveled in the “twin” Resilience.
As planned, the team of astronauts aboard the Crew Dragon capsule arrived at the Space Station around 11 a.m. EST, at 4 a.m. Tuesday morning. After docking, a slow process that required great care and precision, it took a few hours to stabilize and equalize the pressure between the Space Station and Crew Dragon. Only then can the two hatches be opened, which is scheduled for 1:40 am EST, around 6:40 am in mainland Portugal.
The four astronauts traveling on Crew Dragon joined the three current occupants of the orbital station and a small ceremony was held with some official remarks, this time without incident. Remember that when the Demo-2 mission arrives, between hugs and greetings, Douglas Hurley hits his head and bleeds.
All preparation for arrival at the International Space Station
Initial plans by NASA and SpaceX called for the historic mission launch on October 31. However, a problem related to the Falcon 9 engines, the same one that was found in the first launch attempt of the US Space Force GPS III-SV04 mission and in the rocket that would be used to launch the Sentinel-6 satellite, caused a delay. for November 14.
The strong winds that were felt at Cape Canaveral caused the mission to be postponed again until November 15. During the night there was finally a “green light” for the launch.
Three minutes later, at 90 kilometers of altitude, and when the Falcon 9 reached a speed of seven thousand kilometers per hour, the first stage of the rocket separated, returning to Earth and landing on the platform “Just read the instructions” of SpaceX. in the Atlantic Ocean.
The first orbital flight licensed by the Federal Aviation Administration, following tests carried out in March, carries three astronauts from NASA and one from the Japanese Space Agency (JAXA) on board. But in the luggage he also follows a little baby Yoda, a doll from Disney’s Mandalorian series, who has enchanted social networks.
In addition to the “fluffy” effect, the plush also plays a role in showing when the ship’s environment is in microgravity, which is usually done with an object left loose in the capsule. In Demo-2 Doug Hurley took a small dinosaur named Tremor that had been chosen by his children.
The team faces a six-month mission on the ISS, where they will conduct several scientific experiments in microgravity, joining the three astronauts who are on the Station and forming for the first time a group of seven scientists aboard the orbiting station that they recently celebrated . the 20th anniversary as a “home” for humans out of orbit.
It is recalled that the Falcon 9 that was used for the launch of Crew-1 and the booster from the first phase will be reused for the ship’s next mission, Crew-2, which will have two women as pilots. In addition, according to Benji Reed, head of manned flights at SpaceX, the company led by Elon Musk expects to launch seven missions to transport people and cargo in the next 15 months.
The following gallery shows Crew Dragon’s maneuvering and approach schematics to the International Space Station.
