LIVE only 3 miles away from SpaceX and NASA launching humans to space for the first time!
4:30Pm Update
An early decision is made to delay to Saturday the first US astronaut launch in the US for nine years.
Poor weather has forced SpaceX to call off the launch of Nasa astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken to the International Space Station (ISS).
The two men were due to go up from the Kennedy Space Center in one of the company's new Dragon capsules at 16:33 local time (21:33 BST).
But unfavourable atmospheric conditions prompted controllers to call a stop to flight preparations for the day.
A tropical storm is also forming out over the Atlantic.
This would have been very close to the path of the astronauts' spaceship as it made its ascent to orbit.
SpaceX and Nasa will now have to wait until the space station is back in the right part of the sky to attempt another launch.
The earliest this can be is Saturday. If that's no good, there would be a third opportunity on Sunday.
There is great interest in this launch. Not since the retirement of the shuttles in 2011 has America been able to launch its own astronauts into space - a big gap in which the US has had to rely on Russian Soyuz vehicles.
But Hurley's and Behnken's mission is about more than just pride.
Nasa is giving up its past practice of owning and operating the space systems it uses low-Earth orbit and intends in future simply to buy crew transport services from the private sector – much like a company might outsource its payroll or HR needs.
SpaceX is the first of these new service providers.
Nasa Administrator Jim Bridenstine believes the approach will save his agency money that can then be spent on missions to the Moon and Mars.
“We envision a future where low-Earth orbit is entirely commercialised, where Nasa is one customer of many customers, where we have numerous providers that are competing on cost, on innovation and safety," he said.
"We are proving out a business model that ultimately enable us to go to the Moon this time sustainably. In other words we’re going to go to the Moon to stay.”
Official launch
today taking Astronauts to (INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION) ISS at 4:30pm Eastern Standard time.
The Crew Dragon Demo-2 mission is the culmination of years of testing. Last year, Crew Dr
agon was successfully sent to the ISS without a crew, while this year's critical in-flight abort test led to the greenlighting of the Demo-2 mission.
If the Demo-2 mission is a success, NASA will certify the SpaceX Crew Dragon operational for future launches.
A new era of human spaceflight is set to begin as American astronauts once again launch on an American rocket from American soil to the International Space Station as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley will fly on SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft, lifting off on a Falcon 9 rocket at 4:33 p.m. EDT May 27, from Launch Complex 39A in Florida, for an extended stay at the space station for the Demo-2 mission. The specific duration of the mission is to be determined.
As the final flight test for SpaceX, this mission will validate the company’s crew transportation system, including the launch pad, rocket, spacecraft, and operational capabilities. This also will be the first time NASA astronauts will test the spacecraft systems in orbit.
Behnken will be the joint operations commander for the mission, responsible for activities such as rendezvous, docking and undocking, as well as Demo-2 activities while the spacecraft is docked to the space station. He was selected as a NASA astronaut in 2000 and has completed two space shuttle flights. Behnken flew STS-123 in March 2008 and STS-130 in February 2010, and he performed three spacewalks during each mission. Born in St. Anne, Missouri, he has bachelor’s degrees in physics and mechanical engineering from Washington University and earned a master’s and doctorate in mechanical engineering from California Institute of Technology. Before joining NASA, Behnken was a flight test engineer with the U.S. Air Force.
Hurley will be the spacecraft commander for Demo-2, responsible for activities such as launch, landing and recovery. He was selected as an astronaut in 2000 and has completed two spaceflights. Hurley served as pilot and lead robotics operator for both STS‐127 in July 2009 and STS‐135, the final space shuttle mission, in July 2011. The New York native was born in Endicott but considers Apalachin his hometown. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Tulane University in Louisiana and graduated from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School in Maryland. Before joining NASA, he was a fighter pilot and test pilot in the U.S. Marine Corps.
Lifting off from Launch Pad 39A atop a specially instrumented Falcon 9 rocket, Crew Dragon will accelerate its two passengers to approximately 17,000 mph and put it on an intercept course with the International Space Station. Once in orbit, the crew and SpaceX mission control will verify the spacecraft is performing as intended by testing the environmental control system, the displays and control system and the maneuvering thrusters, among other things. In about 24 hours, Crew Dragon will be in position to rendezvous and dock with the space station. The spacecraft is designed to do this autonomously but astronauts aboard the spacecraft and the station will be diligently monitoring approach and docking and can take control of the spacecraft if necessary.
After successfully docking, Behnken and Hurley will be welcomed aboard station and will become members of the Expedition 63 crew. They will perform tests on Crew Dragon in addition to conducting research and other tasks with the space station crew.
Although the Crew Dragon being used for this flight test can stay in orbit about 110 days, the specific mission duration will be determined once on station based on the readiness of the next commercial crew launch. The operational Crew Dragon spacecraft will be capable of staying in orbit for at least 210 days as a NASA requirement.
Upon conclusion of the mission, Crew Dragon will autonomously undock with the two astronauts on board, depart the space station and re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere. Upon splashdown just off Florida’s Atlantic Coast, the crew will be picked up at sea by SpaceX’s Go Navigator recovery vessel and return to Cape Canaveral.
The Demo-2 mission will be the final major step before NASA’s Commercial Crew Program certifies Crew Dragon for operational, long-duration missions to the space station. This certification and regular operation of Crew Dragon will enable NASA to continue the important research and technology investigations taking place onboard the station, which benefits people on Earth and lays the groundwork for future exploration of the Moon and Mars starting with the agency’s Artemis program, which will land the first woman and the next man on the lunar surface in 2024.
SourceLIVE only 3 miles away from SpaceX and NASA launching humans to space for the first time!
4:30Pm Update
An early decision is made to delay to Saturday the first US astronaut launch in the US for nine years.
Poor weather has forced SpaceX to call off the launch of Nasa astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken to the International Space Station (ISS).
The two men were due to go up from the Kennedy Space Center in one of the company's new Dragon capsules at 16:33 local time (21:33 BST).
But unfavourable atmospheric conditions prompted controllers to call a stop to flight preparations for the day.
A tropical storm is also forming out over the Atlantic.
This would have been very close to the path of the astronauts' spaceship as it made its ascent to orbit.
SpaceX and Nasa will now have to wait until the space station is back in the right part of the sky to attempt another launch.
The earliest this can be is Saturday. If that's no good, there would be a third opportunity on Sunday.
There is great interest in this launch. Not since the retirement of the shuttles in 2011 has America been able to launch its own astronauts into space - a big gap in which the US has had to rely on Russian Soyuz vehicles.
But Hurley's and Behnken's mission is about more than just pride.
Nasa is giving up its past practice of owning and operating the space systems it uses low-Earth orbit and intends in future simply to buy crew transport services from the private sector – much like a company might outsource its payroll or HR needs.
SpaceX is the first of these new service providers.
Nasa Administrator Jim Bridenstine believes the approach will save his agency money that can then be spent on missions to the Moon and Mars.
“We envision a future where low-Earth orbit is entirely commercialised, where Nasa is one customer of many customers, where we have numerous providers that are competing on cost, on innovation and safety," he said.
"We are proving out a business model that ultimately enable us to go to the Moon this time sustainably. In other words we’re going to go to the Moon to stay.”
Official launch
today taking Astronauts to (INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION) ISS at 4:30pm Eastern Standard time. The Crew Dragon Demo-2 mission is the culmination of years of testing. Last year, Crew Dr
agon was successfully sent to the ISS without a crew, while this year's critical in-flight abort test led to the greenlighting of the Demo-2 mission.If the Demo-2 mission is a success, NASA will certify the SpaceX Crew Dragon operational for future launches.
A new era of human spaceflight is set to begin as American astronauts once again launch on an American rocket from American soil to the International Space Station as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley will fly on SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft, lifting off on a Falcon 9 rocket at 4:33 p.m. EDT May 27, from Launch Complex 39A in Florida, for an extended stay at the space station for the Demo-2 mission. The specific duration of the mission is to be determined.
As the final flight test for SpaceX, this mission will validate the company’s crew transportation system, including the launch pad, rocket, spacecraft, and operational capabilities. This also will be the first time NASA astronauts will test the spacecraft systems in orbit.
Behnken will be the joint operations commander for the mission, responsible for activities such as rendezvous, docking and undocking, as well as Demo-2 activities while the spacecraft is docked to the space station. He was selected as a NASA astronaut in 2000 and has completed two space shuttle flights. Behnken flew STS-123 in March 2008 and STS-130 in February 2010, and he performed three spacewalks during each mission. Born in St. Anne, Missouri, he has bachelor’s degrees in physics and mechanical engineering from Washington University and earned a master’s and doctorate in mechanical engineering from California Institute of Technology. Before joining NASA, Behnken was a flight test engineer with the U.S. Air Force.
Hurley will be the spacecraft commander for Demo-2, responsible for activities such as launch, landing and recovery. He was selected as an astronaut in 2000 and has completed two spaceflights. Hurley served as pilot and lead robotics operator for both STS‐127 in July 2009 and STS‐135, the final space shuttle mission, in July 2011. The New York native was born in Endicott but considers Apalachin his hometown. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Tulane University in Louisiana and graduated from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School in Maryland. Before joining NASA, he was a fighter pilot and test pilot in the U.S. Marine Corps.
Lifting off from Launch Pad 39A atop a specially instrumented Falcon 9 rocket, Crew Dragon will accelerate its two passengers to approximately 17,000 mph and put it on an intercept course with the International Space Station. Once in orbit, the crew and SpaceX mission control will verify the spacecraft is performing as intended by testing the environmental control system, the displays and control system and the maneuvering thrusters, among other things. In about 24 hours, Crew Dragon will be in position to rendezvous and dock with the space station. The spacecraft is designed to do this autonomously but astronauts aboard the spacecraft and the station will be diligently monitoring approach and docking and can take control of the spacecraft if necessary.
After successfully docking, Behnken and Hurley will be welcomed aboard station and will become members of the Expedition 63 crew. They will perform tests on Crew Dragon in addition to conducting research and other tasks with the space station crew.
Although the Crew Dragon being used for this flight test can stay in orbit about 110 days, the specific mission duration will be determined once on station based on the readiness of the next commercial crew launch. The operational Crew Dragon spacecraft will be capable of staying in orbit for at least 210 days as a NASA requirement.
Upon conclusion of the mission, Crew Dragon will autonomously undock with the two astronauts on board, depart the space station and re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere. Upon splashdown just off Florida’s Atlantic Coast, the crew will be picked up at sea by SpaceX’s Go Navigator recovery vessel and return to Cape Canaveral.
The Demo-2 mission will be the final major step before NASA’s Commercial Crew Program certifies Crew Dragon for operational, long-duration missions to the space station. This certification and regular operation of Crew Dragon will enable NASA to continue the important research and technology investigations taking place onboard the station, which benefits people on Earth and lays the groundwork for future exploration of the Moon and Mars starting with the agency’s Artemis program, which will land the first woman and the next man on the lunar surface in 2024.
SourceLIVE only 3 miles away from SpaceX and NASA launching humans to space for the first time!
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