THIS WEEK @NASA: New Crew Arrives at Space Station, Microgravity Research Returns to Earth
By NASA // April 11, 2020
ABOVE VIDEO: New crew arrives safely at the space station, valuable microgravity research returns to Earth and an update on our Commercial Crew Program. A few of the stories to tell you about – This Week at NASA!
BREVARD COUNTY • KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLORIDA – New crew arrives safely at the space station, valuable microgravity research returns to Earth and an update on our Commercial Crew Program. A few of the stories to tell you about – This Week at NASA!
Expedition 63 Crew Launches to the International Space Station
On April 9, our Chris Cassidy and his Expedition 63 crew mates – Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner, both of Roscosmos – launched to the International Space Station from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
Six hours later, the trio was greeted by the crew already onboard the station, including our Jessica Meir and Andrew Morgan.
Dragon Leaves Station, Returns to Earth with Valuable Science
A SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft safely returned to Earth from the space station on April 7, bringing with it more than 4,000 pounds of valuable scientific experiments and other cargo.
This included research that looks at printing human organs and tissues in microgravity, and a study that examines how human heart tissue functions in space.
These and other microgravity experiments conducted on the station could lead to new technologies, medical treatments, and other products to improve life on Earth, and also help us learn how to keep astronauts healthy during long-duration space travel to the Moon and Mars.
Boeing to Fly Second Uncrewed Orbital Flight Test for NASA
Our partner Boeing has decided to fly a second uncrewed flight test to the International Space Station with its CST-100 Starliner, as a part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.
No new launch date has been set. Although many, but not all of the objectives of Boeing’s first uncrewed flight test in December 2019 were accomplished, the company decided another flight would be the best approach to meeting NASA’s requirements.
Data from both flight tests will be used to certify Boeing’s crew transportation system for carrying astronauts to and from the space station.
NASA, SpaceX Team Up for Emergency Egress Exercise
We are continuing preparations with our other Commercial Crew partner, SpaceX for the company’s second demonstration flight test, Demo-2 – the first SpaceX flight to carry astronauts to the International Space Station.
An emergency egress exercise was conducted on April 3 at Launch Complex 39A at our Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The end-to-end demonstration is the latest in a series of exercises to ensure the crew and support teams can quickly evacuate from the launch pad in the unlikely event of an emergency prior to liftoff. Demo-2 is targeted for launch in mid to late May.
NASA Commemorates 50th Anniversary of Apollo 13, ‘A Successful Failure’
NASA is commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 13 mission by sharing a variety of resources, recognizing the triumph of the mission control team and the astronauts, and looking at how lessons learned from the mission can be applied to our lunar Artemis program.
Apollo 13 has become known as “a successful failure” following the safe return of its crew in spite of a catastrophic explosion. Find out more at nasa.gov/apollo13.
That’s what’s up this week @NASA …
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