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Updated: November 19, 2020 11:33:43
The Crew Dragon crew is ready for launch. (Photo: Twitter / @ SpaceX)
As part of NASA’s first ever commercial human spacecraft system, a crew of four astronauts are now on their way to the International Space Station (ISS) on a 27-hour flight, aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft named Resilience. .
The mission was originally supposed to leave on November 14, but was hampered by unfavorable weather conditions. Crew-1 is the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft’s first operational flight on a Falcon 9 rocket to the ISS and is also the first of three such flights scheduled during 2020-21.
What is the Crew-1 mission?
It is the first of six manned missions that NASA and SpaceX will operate under the Commercial Crew Program, whose goal is to make access to space easier in terms of cost, so that cargo and the crew can be easily transported to and from the ISS, allowing for more scientific research. The program is a way to reduce the cost of going into space for agencies like NASA, and it also allows any individual to buy a ticket on a commercial rocket. Therefore, the launch is seen as the beginning of a new era in space travel.
“This partnership is changing the history of human spaceflight by opening up access to low Earth orbit and the International Space Station for more people, more science and more business opportunities,” NASA said.
Boeing and SpaceX were selected by NASA in September 2014 to develop transportation systems intended to transfer the crew from the United States to the ISS. “These integrated spacecraft, rockets and associated systems will carry up to four astronauts on NASA missions, retaining a space station crew of seven to maximize the time devoted to scientific research on the orbiting laboratory,” the NASA website states.
In May, NASA’s SpaceX Demo-2 test flight took off for the ISS, becoming the first manned flight to be launched from American soil since the space shuttle era ended in 2011. Last week, NASA certified the SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule and the Falcon 9 rocket, making it the first spacecraft certification provided by the space agency.
The Crew-1 mission launched agency astronauts Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover and Shannon Walker along with Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) mission specialist Soichi Noguchi from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A for a six-month mission aboard of the ISS, where they will join the members of Expedition 64, the crew of the space station currently residing there.
Resilience increases. 🚀
The Crew-1 mission took off on a Falcon 9 rocket from @NASAKennedy at 7:27 pm ET and is en route to @ Space Station. #LaunchAmerica pic.twitter.com/5Q3uXSLvqt
– NASA (@NASA) November 16, 2020
Hopkins, who is the commander of the Crew Dragon spacecraft and the Crew-1 mission, is responsible for all phases of space flight, from launch to reentry. Glover is the pilot of the Crew Dragon spaceship, while Walker and Noguchi are the mission specialists. 📣 Follow Express Explained on Telegram
Why is the mission significant?
The Crew-1 mission sets many firsts for NASA and SpaceX, including the first commercial system flight certified by NASA, the first four-person international crew to be launched on an American commercial spacecraft, the first time the space station has carried out a long-duration expedition the crew size will increase from six to seven crew members, which will add to the crew time available for research and the first time the Federal Aviation Administration has licensed a space flight human orbital.
Although the Crew Dragon spacecraft is capable of remaining in orbit for a period of 210 days, it will return in the spring of 2021, making it the longest-running human space mission launched by the United States. The spacecraft will also deliver over 500 pounds of cargo, scientific hardware and experiments to the ISS.
At the end of the mission, crew 1 astronauts will board Crew Dragon, which disengages and independently leaves the space station, after which it will re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere.
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What will crew-1 members do at the ISS?
The mission objectives are the same as Expedition 1, which took off 20 years ago. NASA called both of these ISS missions “historic”. At the ISS, the Crew-1 team will join Expedition 64 members and conduct microgravity studies.
Some of the research the crew is taking with them includes materials to investigate food physiology, which will study the effects of dietary improvements on immune function and gut microbiome, and how these improvements can help crews adapt to space flights. Once in orbit, NASA astronaut Glover will collect samples to provide data to scientists on Earth so they can continue studying how dietary changes affect his body.
Another experiment aboard the Crew Dragon is a student-designed experiment called “Genes in Space-7” which aims to understand how spaceflight affects brain function. Other experiments include research that will allow scientists to understand physical interactions on liquids, rocks and microorganisms, another experiment on the role of microgravity on human health, and how microgravity affects heart tissue.
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