2.03.2023
Crew members assigned to NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 mission are in orbit following their successful launch to the International Space Station at 12:34 a.m. EST Thursday from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The international crew are the agency’s sixth commercial crew rotation mission with SpaceX aboard the orbital laboratory.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket propelled the Dragon spacecraft, named Endeavour, into orbit carrying NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Warren Hoburg, along with United Arab Emirates (UAE) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, for a science expedition aboard the space station.
“Congratulations to the NASA and SpaceX teams for another history-making mission to the International Space Station! The Commercial Crew Program is proof American ingenuity and leadership in space benefits all of humanity – through groundbreaking science, innovative technology, and newfound partnership,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “Crew-6 will be busy aboard the International Space Station, conducting over 200 experiments that will help us to prepare for missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond, as well as improve life here on Earth. We look forward to seeing all that they accomplish.”
During Dragon’s flight, SpaceX will monitor a series of automatic spacecraft maneuvers from its mission control center in Hawthorne, California, and NASA teams will monitor space station operations throughout the flight from the Mission Control Center at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Dragon will dock autonomously to the space-facing port of the station’s Harmony module around 1:17 a.m., Friday, March 3. NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website will provide live coverage of docking and hatch opening. NASA TV also will cover the ceremony to welcome the crew aboard the orbital outpost about 3:40 a.m.
Once aboard station, Crew-6 will join the Expedition 68, consisting of NASA astronauts Frank Rubio, Nicole Mann, and Josh Cassada, as well as JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Koichi Wakata, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev, Dmitri Petelin, and Anna Kikina. For a short time, the 11 crew members will live and work in space together until Crew-5 members Mann, Cassada, Wakata, and Kikina return to Earth a few days later.
Conducting new scientific research, Crew-6 will help prepare for human exploration beyond low-Earth orbit and benefit life on Earth. Experiments will include studies of how particular materials burn in microgravity, tissue chipresearch on heart, brain, and cartilage functions, and an investigation that will collect microbial samples from the outside of the space station. These are just some of the hundreds of science experiments and technology demonstrations that will take place during their mission.
“For more than two decades, humans have continuously lived and worked aboard the International Space Station,” said Kathryn Lueders, associate administrator for NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate in Washington. “Commercial Crew Program missions like Crew-6 are essential so we can continue to maximize the important research possible only in the space station’s unique microgravity environment. Congratulations to the NASA and SpaceX teams on a successful launch! I am looking forward to seeing the crew safely aboard the station.”
The Crew-6 mission enables NASA to maximize use of the space station, where astronauts have lived and worked continuously for more than 22 years testing technologies, performing science, and developing the skills needed to operate future commercial destinations in low-Earth orbit and explore farther from Earth. Research conducted on the space station provides benefits for people on Earth and paves the way for future long-duration trips to the Moon and beyond through NASA’s Artemis missions.
Meet Crew-6
This will be Bowen’s fourth trip into space as a veteran of three space shuttle missions: STS-126 in 2008, STS-132 in 2010, and STS-133 in 2011. Bowen has logged more than 40 days in space, including 47 hours, 18 minutes during seven spacewalks. As mission commander, he will be responsible for all phases of flight, from launch to re-entry. He will serve as an Expedition 68-69 flight engineer aboard the station.
Bowen was born in Cohasset, Massachusetts. He holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, and a master’s degree in ocean engineering from the Joint Program in Applied Ocean Science and Engineering offered by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Falmouth, Massachusetts. In July 2000, Bowen became the first submarine officer selected as an astronaut by NASA.
The mission will be Hoburg’s first flight since his selection as an astronaut in 2017. As pilot, he will be responsible for spacecraft systems and performance. Aboard the station, he will serve as an Expedition 68-69 flight engineer.
Hoburg is from Pittsburgh. He earned a bachelor’s degree in aeronautics and astronautics from MIT and a doctorate in electrical engineering and computer science from the University of California, Berkeley. At the time of his selection as an astronaut, Hoburg was an assistant professor of aeronautics and astronautics at MIT. Hoburg's research focused on efficient methods for design of engineering systems. He also is a commercial pilot with instrument, single-engine, and multi-engine ratings.
Alneyadi will be making his first trip to space, representing the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center of the UAE. Alneyadi is the first UAE astronaut to fly on a commercial spacecraft. Once aboard the station, he will become a flight engineer for Expedition 68-69.
Fedyaev will be making his first trip to space, and also will serve as a mission specialist, working to monitor the spacecraft during the dynamic launch and re-entry phases of flight. He will be a flight engineer for Expedition 68-69.
Quelle:NASA
+++
Meet Suhail, the UAE space mission's mascot joining Sultan Al Neyadi on his travels
The cute stuffed toy previously accompanied Hazza Al Mansouri on his journey to the International Space Station
UAE astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi isn't flying the Emirati flag alone in his historic journey to the International Space Station.
Suhail, a mascot for the nation's space mission, came along for the ride as Dr Al Neyadi and his three crewmates blasted off from the Kennedy Space Centre on Thursday morning.
A star was born when Saeed Al Emadi, from the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre, developed the cartoon character to spark interest in space and Stem subjects (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) in the next generation.
A stuffed-toy version of the mascot served as an additional crewmate during Emirati astronaut Maj Hazza Al Mansouri's eight-day stay on board the ISS, three and a half years ago.
On Thursday, he travelled again with Dr Al Neyadi.
"Allow me to introduce you to the fifth crew member. His name is Suhail and it is the Arabic name for the star Canopus," Dr Al Neyadi said after lift-off.
"In the Middle East, we anticipate the appearance of Canopus because it indicates the end of summer and the beginning of the cool times.
"This is the second flight for Suhail because it flew with Hazza Al Mansouri in 2019."
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/thenational/OSRCKFAY3RGDJG4O755R3BH25M.png)
Many people think Suhail is an alien, Dr Al Neyadi said, "but to me, he is from Earth — in a spacesuit — with high ambitions".
The designer of the blue-faced character said he aimed to help promote the country's astronaut programme to children.
“When the UAE Astronaut Programme was launched, I felt it was the perfect opportunity to inspire the youth and children,” Mr Al Emadi previously told The National.
“I came up with the idea to design the mascot that would represent our centre, as well as be a part of the mission to the International Space Station. At the same time, I wanted to create a character that could interact with the larger audience and teach the youth about space and related science.
Social media users chose its name with the help of an online poll.
Maj Al Mansouri took several photos of Suhail while on board the space station and used it as a tool to interact with children.
Miniature versions of the stuffed toy were distributed during the live screening event of the launch at the MBRSC headquarters. To children, it eventually became a symbol of the country’s bold space mission.
“I never thought that I would end up drawing the mascot for MBRSC, let alone see my creation in the International Space Station with the first UAE astronaut,” Mr Al Emadi said.
“It was a big deal, as the mascot was the first cartoon character from the UAE and the region to go to space. I hope that it inspired children and made them want to learn more about space.
“In the long run, I want to develop the character of ‘Suhail’ further, so that the audience can engage with it even more.”
Mr Al Emadi was also part of the Zayed’s Ambition brand and the mission patch that was created in collaboration with the Federal Youth Authority.
Quirky items taken to space: from a Tesla car to a lightsaber
Before the Olympic Games in Atlanta in 1996, the sporting event's famous torch was taken on board the space shuttle Columbia.
Four years later, the torch was carried on the Atlantis Shuttle as the Games moved to Sydney.
In 2013, Russian cosmonauts Oleg Kotov and Sergey Ryazansky went a step further by taking the torch on a spacewalk outside the ISS.
In a unique tribute, the ashes of Clyde Tombaugh, who discovered Pluto, were taken on Nasa's New Horizons mission to the dwarf planet in 2006.
Life imitated art in 2007 when a team of seven astronauts transported a Star Wars lightsaber, wielded by Luke Skywalker in the Hollywood film franchise, on the International Space Station.
Not to be outdone, SpaceX Elon Musk created a remarkable slice of corporate synergy in 2018 by launching a roadster from his Tesla brand into space.
It was launched on a Falcon Heavy rocket, with a dummy driver called Starman behind the wheel.
Five years on, it is believed to have racked up more than four billion kilometres, although it is difficult to pinpoint where in space it is now.
Other notable items to take off from Earth include Lego, a piece of the Wright Brothers' first aeroplane and even a corned-beef sandwich.
Quelle:TheNational
+++