Crew-4 launches to ISS Wednesday morning
The explosion of light in the pre-dawn darkness – launching Crew-4’s Falcon9 rocket as it slipped through the black sky to low earth orbit.Both NASA and SpaceX launch managers were delighted with the launch.“We had a really clean countdown today. Falcon9 rocket did great, the Dragon capsule did great. Great to see the crew get in, and you could tell they were excited to start their flight off,” said Steve Stich of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.Crew-4 is made up of three NASA astronauts; Cmdr. Kjell Lindren, pilot Bob Hines and Jessica Watkins – the first Black woman to spend extended time on the ISS. Rounding out the crew – Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti.For the first time in weeks, both launch pads 39 A and B are vacant. This now that Crew-4 has launched from A and NASA’s huge lunar rocket Artemis I was rolled back to the Vehicle Assembly Building after more than a month of testing on pad B.”Another historical mark for Crew-4, the Falcon9 rocket used for the mission is on its fourth flight with astronauts.It landed on drone ship “A shortfall of Gravitas” about 340 miles downrange just about 10 minutes after launch.The Crew Dragon capsule will meet up with the International Space Station just after 8 a.m. Wednesday. Crew-4 will then board the ISS after about 90 minutes.And then will undergo a handover process with Crew-3 on station operations and the many ongoing science experiments.It’s expected that Crew-3 will undock and return to Earth in about five days. There were a few dozen people watching the launch from the Freddie Patrick Park boat ramp.Most people were in from out of town and almost all of them were watching a launch for the very first time. Most people were from out of town and almost all of them were watching a launch for the very first time. Now Lindgren, Hines, Watkins and Cristoforetti were in quarantine ahead of their launch. Watkins, a geologist who is on NASA’s shortlist for a moon-landing mission in the years ahead, sees her mission as “an important milestone, I think, both for the agency and for the country.”She credits supportive family and mentors — including Mae Jemison, the first Black woman in space in 1992 — for “ultimately being able to live my dream.”
The explosion of light in the pre-dawn darkness – launching Crew-4’s Falcon9 rocket as it slipped through the black sky to low earth orbit.
Both NASA and SpaceX launch managers were delighted with the launch.
“We had a really clean countdown today. Falcon9 rocket did great, the Dragon capsule did great. Great to see the crew get in, and you could tell they were excited to start their flight off,” said Steve Stich of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.
Crew-4 is made up of three NASA astronauts; Cmdr. Kjell Lindren, pilot Bob Hines and Jessica Watkins – the first Black woman to spend extended time on the ISS. Rounding out the crew – Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti.
For the first time in weeks, both launch pads 39 A and B are vacant. This now that Crew-4 has launched from A and NASA’s huge lunar rocket Artemis I was rolled back to the Vehicle Assembly Building after more than a month of testing on pad B.”
Another historical mark for Crew-4, the Falcon9 rocket used for the mission is on its fourth flight with astronauts.
It landed on drone ship “A shortfall of Gravitas” about 340 miles downrange just about 10 minutes after launch.
The Crew Dragon capsule will meet up with the International Space Station just after 8 a.m. Wednesday. Crew-4 will then board the ISS after about 90 minutes.
And then will undergo a handover process with Crew-3 on station operations and the many ongoing science experiments.
It’s expected that Crew-3 will undock and return to Earth in about five days.
There were a few dozen people watching the launch from the Freddie Patrick Park boat ramp.
Most people were in from out of town and almost all of them were watching a launch for the very first time. Most people were from out of town and almost all of them were watching a launch for the very first time.
Now Lindgren, Hines, Watkins and Cristoforetti were in quarantine ahead of their launch.
Watkins, a geologist who is on NASA’s shortlist for a moon-landing mission in the years ahead, sees her mission as “an important milestone, I think, both for the agency and for the country.”
She credits supportive family and mentors — including Mae Jemison, the first Black woman in space in 1992 — for “ultimately being able to live my dream.”
Read More:Crew-4 launches to ISS Wednesday morning