3/6/2023 0 Comments Nasa space shuttle launch 2011![]() ![]() To learn more about the Demo-2 mission and crew, read the full story at. 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 with the agency’s Artemis program. 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 also will be the first time NASA astronauts will test the spacecraft systems in orbit. The specific duration of the mission is to be determined.Īs 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. EDT on May 27, from Launch Complex 39A in Florida, for an extended stay at the space station for the Demo-2 mission. NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley will fly on SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft, lifting off on a Falcon 9 rocket at 4:32 p.m. Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. Photo credit: SpaceXĪ 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. soil for the first time since the Space Shuttle Program ended in 2011. Crew Dragon will carry Behnken and Hurley atop a Falcon 9 rocket, returning crew launches to the space station from U.S. But overall, SpaceX has enjoyed a good track record in its eight years of flying cargo to the space station.The SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft undergoes final processing at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, in preparation for the Demo-2 launch with NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley to the International Space Station for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. ![]() In 2015, one of its uncrewed rockets exploded on the way to the space station. NASA announced that subsequent crewed missions would use the Russian Soyuz spacecraft as well as spacecraft built by American companies. The last space shuttle flight, the 135th, was launched on July 8, 2011. That's not to say that SpaceX hasn't had safety issues over the years. Space shuttle flights resumed on July 26, 2005, with the launch of Discovery. The position also makes it easy to eject the capsule if the rocket itself runs into trouble. Unlike the shuttle, it sits on top of the rocket, therefore avoiding debris that can fall off during launch and potentially damage the spacecraft - a problem that doomed the space shuttle Columbia in 2003. The Dragon-Falcon 9 configuration is a far cry from the winged space shuttle, but the SpaceX capsule has considerable safety advantages. Its SpaceX Falcon 9 booster has been used successfully dozens of times to put satellites and space-station cargo into orbit. Dragon, which on the surface resembles an updated Apollo-era command module, sports a sleek interior and oversized touchscreen controls. Hurley, 53, and Behnken, 49, will put the bell-shaped Dragon through its paces on the way to the station. "This event is something that all of humanity can get excited about," he said. "I'm really quite overcome with emotion on this day, so it's kind of hard to talk, frankly," he said.Įlon Musk, the billionaire founder and CEO of SpaceX, called it "a day that I think everyone can be proud of." Speaking at a post-launch news conference on Saturday, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said: "What a great day for NASA. "That was a beautiful sight to see and I hope you all enjoyed it," the president said. "It's incredible, the power, the technology," said President Trump, who was at Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the launch. It is also a first for SpaceX, which has ambitions of someday taking paying customers zooming around the Earth. For nearly a decade, it has been relying on Russian Soyuz rockets to get them there. soil since the end of the shuttle program in 2011. The next and last launch of a US space shuttle is scheduled for early July. Far below, clouds of Earth are seen above a blue sea. The above spectacular image well captures the relative sizes of the station and docked shuttle. The mission marks the first time NASA has sent astronauts into space from U.S. The supply ship was the Russian Soyuz TMA-20 which landed in Kazakhstan later that day. Appreciate the great ride to space," Hurley told flight controllers as the spacecraft reached orbit. Crew Dragon separated from the rocket at 3:35 p.m. The Falcon 9 booster separated and guided itself to a successful landing on a drone ship stationed in the Atlantic. As the countdown narrowed, the weather continued to improve. Similar weather concerns dogged Saturday's launch and nearly forced a second delay, but NASA and SpaceX decided early Saturday that conditions were trending in the right direction.
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