May 27th. The Day We Return to Space

Tuckerfan · Apr 17, 2020

NASA has selected the date for the first manned SpaceX mission.

NASA sets a date for historic SpaceX launch, the first flight of NASA crews from U.S. in nearly a decade

It’s been nearly 10 years since the last NASA astronauts launched from United States soil — a long, ignominious streak that’s been compounded by delays and technical challenges.

But now, finally, the space agency on Friday set the date for when it will fly its astronauts from the Florida Space Coast again: May 27.

While the date could change — in spaceflight they often do — the announcement marks a significant milestone in NASA’s winding, at times tortuous, journey to regain its human spaceflight wings since it retired the Space Shuttle in 2011.

This time, though, the launch will be markedly different than any other in the history of the space agency. Unlike Mercury, Gemini, Apollo or the Space Shuttle era, the rocket will be owned and operated not by NASA, but by a private company — SpaceX, the hard charging commercial space company founded by Elon Musk.

For all the company’s triumphs, and its experience flying cargo to the space station for NASA, it has never flown a single human being, a significant and dangerous challenge. NASA has spent years working with the California-based company to ensure its Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft can safely deliver astronauts to orbit. And the flight would be the culmination of years of work, which has at times seen set backs and delays.

With a successful launch, SpaceX would accomplish something of an upset over its rival, Boeing, which also has been under contract from NASA to fly crews to the space station as part of NASA’s “commercial crew program.” Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft suffered a series of significant setbacks during a test flight without astronauts in December that prevented it from docking with the station and prompted an investigation by NASA.

Boeing recently said it would refly the mission without astronauts on board before proceeding to a crewed flight that now may not happen until the end of the year.

For the upcoming SpaceX mission, NASA has assigned two of its most veteran astronauts to the mission: Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley. Both are married to astronauts. Both have been to space multiple times. Both are former military test pilots.

If all goes to plan, they’d lift off at 4:32 p.m. from the Kennedy Space Center’s pad 39A, the historic site that saw many of the Apollo and shuttle missions. Hurley’s presence would mark a bookending for NASA, since he was on the very last shuttle mission, which lifted off from 39A in 2011.

SpaceX’s launch comes at an important time for NASA, which has been scrambling to ensure that it keeps a presence on the International Space Station. With the shuttles retired, NASA has been forced to rely on the Russians for rides to the station, paying as much as $83 million a seat.

On Friday, NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Drew Morgan returned to Earth, leaving Chris Cassidy as the lone American on the station with two Russian cosmonauts.

It’s unclear, however, how long Behnken and Hurley will remain aboard the station. Initially, their mission was expected to be a short stay. But because of the setbacks and delays, suffered by both SpaceX and Boeing, their mission will be extended.

NASA said that the Dragon spacecraft being used in the flight test can remain in orbit for 110 days. But the “specific mission duration will be determined once on station based on the readiness of the next commercial crew launch.”
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Steal Your Face · Apr 17, 2020

Talk about social distancing.

We Are Borg · Apr 17, 2020

Excellent news.

And Boeing's track record for the past several years in both commercial aviation and spaceflight has been abysmal. NASA should dump their ass.

steve2^4 · Apr 19, 2020

It's interesting they chose not to fly a SpaceX rep. I'd want the owner of the craft to have some skin in the game.

ETA, it's probably due to the logistics of having two more people on the space station without another emergency vehicle to get them down.

Bailey · Apr 19, 2020

steve2^4 said: ↑

It's interesting they chose not to fly a SpaceX rep. I'd want the owner of the craft to have some skin in the game.

ETA, it's probably due to the logistics of having two more people on the space station without another emergency vehicle to get them down.
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While this is more commercialised, the entire US space program has been flying astronauts on craft built by companies without putting company reps on board. The fact that killing astronauts would likely kill SpaceX as a company is plenty of skin in the game.

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May 27th. The Day We Return to Space

Tuckerfan BMF

Steal Your Face Anti-Federalist

We Are Borg Republican Democrat

steve2^4 Aged Meat

Bailey It's always Christmas Eve Super Moderator

Log in or Sign up

May 27th. The Day We Return to Space

Tuckerfan BMF

Steal Your Face Anti-Federalist

We Are Borg Republican Democrat

steve2^4 Aged Meat

Bailey It's always Christmas Eve Super Moderator

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