Countdown To Launch: NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1 Mission

NASA astronauts Robert Behnken, left, and Douglas Hurley are seen inside the SpaceX Crew Dragon Endeavour spacecraft onboard the SpaceX GO Navigator recovery ship shortly after having landed in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Pensacola, Florida, Sunday, Aug. 2, 2020. NASA/Bill Ingalls

In this new era of American human spaceflight and with the help of NASA, SpaceX is preparing to launch a crew to the ISS on November 14 at 7:49P ET! The mission is called SpaceX Crew-1.

Who are the selected astronauts for the Crew-1 Mission?

The assigned NASA astronauts for this mission are Crew Dragon commander Michael Hopkins, pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialist Shannon Walker along with mission specialist Soichi Noguchi from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). These four astronauts will launch in a brand-new Crew Dragon spacecraft from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Hopkins, Glover, Walker, and Noguchi will be aboard the space station (ISS) for six months. The Crew Dragon from the Demo-2 mission will be used for the future SpaceX Crew-2 mission.

What will the astronauts be doing on the ISS for six months?

Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover, Shannon Walker, and Soichi Noguchi will join NASA Astronaut Kathleen (Kate) Rubins, Cosmonaut Sergey Ryzhikov, and Cosmonaut Sergey Kud-Sverchkov in space. Prior to the Crew-1 launch, Rubins, Ryzhikov, and Sverchkov will have arrived at the space station via a Soyuz spacecraft launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Russia. These seven astronauts are Expedition 64. In addition to time reserved for exercise, chores, meals, and sleeping, the astronauts will also conduct science experiments. There are plans to perform a few spacewalks, too.

Source: Discovery Channel