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LIVE: SpaceX and NASA Crew-1 mission launch | CNN

2020-11-16T01:04:22.832Z


SpaceX and NASA's Crew-1 mission Resilience spacecraft successfully lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The four crew members will spend more than 5 months on the International Space Station. SpaceX rockets are designed to be reusable. This is how they work Step by step: this will be the launch and docking of Crew-1 | Technology | CNN


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6 hours ago

SpaceX booster rocket lands on platform

By CNN Business Jackie Wattles

The first stage of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket, the largest part of the launch vehicle that houses the nine main engines, broke away from the second stage of the rocket and made a precise landing on a robotically controlled offshore platform in the Atlantic Ocean.

This is a routine feat for SpaceX.

The company recovered more than 60 of its first-stage rocket boosters after launch, allowing it to refurbish the booster and use it again.

That saves the company some cash, SpaceX says.

The second stage of the rocket has already fired its engine and is working to propel the Crew Dragon capsule, which carries the four astronauts, at more than 17,000 miles per hour.

That is the speed necessary to keep an object in a stable orbit around the Earth.

13 hours ago

The first stage of the rocket was separated

By CNN Business Jackie Wattles

The rocket has just reached "MECO," or main engine cut-off.

That means the 9 Merlin engines connected to the first stage of the rocket, the ones that give the initial thrust at lift-off, have finished burning fuel for now.

The first stage of the rocket was separated from the second stage, which has its own engine optimized to fly through space where the atmosphere is super thin.

The second stage fired its engine and now propels the Crew Dragon capsule at ever-increasing speed.

It will need to reach at least 27,358 kilometers per hour to reach "orbital speed."

That essentially means that the spacecraft will travel so fast, at the correct angle, that it will continually start falling around Earth, also known as orbit.

19 hours ago

TAKEOFF!

Four astronauts head into space aboard the SpaceX rocket

By CNN Business Jackie Wattles

The SpaceX 9 rocket fired all nine engines at its base, and now the rocket is soaring into outer space.

There are four astronauts on board: Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover, Shannon Walker and Soichi Noguchi from NASA and the Japanese space agency JAXA, and they are heading for a six-month stay on the International Space Station.

22 minutes ago

A message of unity

The Crew Dragon is called "Resilience" in honor of the stressful time the world is going through.

Astronaut Mike Hopkins continued that message, telling Mission Control this minutes before takeoff:

“By working together in these difficult times, they have inspired the nation and the world
 Now is the time for us to do our part.

Crew-1 for everyone "

38 minutes ago

A 27-hour drive to the space station

By CNN Business Jackie Wattles

After liftoff, it will take the Crew Dragon spacecraft 27 hours to maneuver to the International Space Station before docking around 11 p.m. (Miami time) tomorrow.

It is possible to make the trip in much less time, but it depends on the day: if the crew had taken off yesterday, they could have made the trip in about eight and a half hours.

Why the big time difference?

Today's lift-off time and the position of the International Space Station in orbit means that this trip will have to last more than nine hours.

And when that happens, NASA makes sure to extend the trip so the crew has enough time to get some sleep aboard the spacecraft.

That's to ensure that they are fully alert when it comes time to dock with the space station.

And yes, the Crew Dragon capsule has a bathroom on board.

50 minutes ago

The arm has retracted

By CNN Business's Michael Ballaban

The crew access arm, which allows astronauts to enter the Crew Dragon capsule from the launch pad, has been retracted from the Falcon 9 rocket.

The 'Launch Escape System', which can fire rockets to move the capsule away from the main rocket in case you experience a problem before or during launch, is also armed and ready to be fired should the need arise.

The 'Launch Escape System' is a crucial safety technology and as such is thoroughly tested before anyone gets on board.

Here's what it might look like, if it needs to be activated on the launch pad:

And this is what it looks like in case you need to activate it in the air:

Fortunately, those were just tests.

1 hour ago

SpaceX rockets are designed to be reusable.

How they work

The powerful roar of a space rocket can shake -perhaps- even the fibers of childhood.

On so many occasions since the Apollo program, thousands of people have gathered in the vicinity of Cape Canaveral to watch the takeoffs, to follow with fascination the trail of smoke and fire produced by a ship that wins the battle against gravity.

We tell you how SpaceX rockets work.

KEEP READING.

2 hours ago

Time looks good

By CNN Business Jackie Wattles

Forecasters were expecting a 50-50 chance that the weather would remain clear enough to allow tonight's launch to move forward.

So far, things are still looking good, at least when it comes to rain.

Weather is a GO for launch!

#LaunchAmerica

- Jim Bridenstine (@JimBridenstine) November 15, 2020

But if conditions change, launch officials could stop the countdown clock at any time before takeoff.

2 hours ago

The astronauts board the ship

Astronauts Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover, Shannon Walker and Soichi Noguchi of the Japanese space agency JAXA and NASA, meet inside the "clean room", an area within the skywalk on the launch pad just outside the spacecraft. Space Crew Dragon.

The crew took a moment to sign the wall of the clean room, following a tradition started by NASA astronauts Robert Behken and Douglas Hurley.

They were the first people to ride aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule on a historic mission that took off in May.

However, that mission was still considered a test flight.

This Sunday will mark the first fully operational mission that the SpaceX vehicle will carry out to the International Space Station.

2 hours ago

This launch pad was also used for the liftoff of Apollo 11

By CNN Business Jackie Wattles

SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft will lift off from Kennedy Space Center Launch Pad 39A mounted on a Falcon 9 rocket.

That launch pad may sound familiar to some: it was the starting point for 11 different Apollo missions, including the first moon landing in 1969. It was later used for most of NASA's space shuttle launches.

SpaceX signed a contract with NASA in 2014 to lease the platform for the next 20 years.

2 hours ago

Astronauts arrive at Launch Pad 39A

By CNN Business Jackie Wattles

The astronauts arrived at the same launch pad used to send Apollo astronauts to the Moon, 39A, at the Kennedy Space Center.

They will climb the stairs to the top of the tower next to the rocket and board their spaceship through the crew access arm, a windowed walkway that connects the tower to the Crew Dragon spaceship, which is located on top of the Falcon 9 rocket.

Takeoff is still several hours away.

The crew will take their time to get into the vehicle, check all the systems and feel comfortable in the spacecraft in which they will spend the next 30 hours.

Takeoff is still hours away.

The crew will take their time to get into the vehicle, check all the systems and feel comfortable in the spacecraft in which they will spend the next 30 hours.

2 hours ago

Music for the trip: the astronauts improvised as they headed to the launch pad

By CNN Business Jackie Wattles

The astronauts listened to some music as they headed to the launch pad in a caravan of Tesla Model X cars.

Some of the songs on his pre-flight playlist:

  • "How it feels to Fly", by Alicia Keys

  • "In the Air Tonight" by Phil Collins

  • Eminem's "Till I collapse"

  • Lenny Kravitz's "Fly Away"

  • "Jump" by Van Halen

  • "Uptown Funk" by Bruno Mars

2 hours ago

What astronauts ate for their last meal on Earth before launch

By CNN Business Jackie Wattles

The astronauts sat down for one last meal before launch.

Here's what they ate, according to NASA spokeswoman Marie Lewis:

  • Mike Hopkins had

    a New York steak, medium, with seasoned fries and rice.

  • Shannon Walker

    ate a "juicy" medium burger with "not soggy" brioche bread, French fries, and arugula salad with grated Parmesan cheese and balsamic vinegar.

  • Victor Glover had

    lamb chops - "medium" - with mashed sweet potatoes and the same salad Walker had, but without the dressing.

  • Soichi Noguchi

    had Japanese curry rice, panko crusted chicken thigh, and French fries.

launch day tradition: big thanks for #NASA food team for curry rice on departure breakfast!

#SpaceX # crew1 launch is tonight at 19:27 EST, 0927JST.

漇漙 に èĄŒ く 才 た 食 äș‹ は ă‚« ツ ă‚« ハ ăƒŒïŒ pic.twitter.com/JgfMnF7Xza

- NOGUCHI, Soichi 野 揣 èĄ - ïŒˆăź ぐ づ そ う い ăĄïŒ‰ (@Astro_Soichi) November 15, 2020

3 hours ago

The astronauts put on the suits

The four astronauts get dressed before heading to the launch pad.

Here's Michael Hopkins, the commander of this Crew Dragon mission.

Victor Glover will be the first black astronaut to become a full-time crew member in the 20 years of the International Space Station.

SpaceX's Crew-1 mission will be Glover's first time flying into space.

3 hours ago

The reason this Crew Dragon capsule is called 'Resilience'

By CNN Business Jackie Wattles

The four astronauts scheduled to begin a six-month mission on the International Space Station are not seeking to romanticize space travel at a time when so many people on Earth are suffering.

When it came time to name the Crew Dragon spaceship that will take you into space tonight, earthly struggles came first.

They nicknamed the vehicle "Resilience."

“If you look at the definition of resilience, that means doing well in times of stress or getting through challenging or stressful events.

And I think we all agree that 2020 has certainly been a challenging year - a global pandemic, economic hardship, unrest, isolation, ”said NASA astronaut Mike Hopkins, who will serve as the spacecraft commander for the mission, during a recent press event.

3 hours ago

What you need to know about the Dragon Crew

By CNN Business Jackie Wattles

The astronauts will head to the International Space Station in a capsule called the Crew Dragon.

The Crew Dragon and the astronauts will enter orbit on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, and the astronauts will board the vehicle on launch day using an aerial "crew access arm."

After the rocket shoots the Crew Dragon into the upper atmosphere, the spacecraft will detach and fire its own thrusters to begin maneuvering toward the space station.

Here are some facts about Crew Dragon:

  • It is approximately 3.9 meters in diameter and equipped with seven seats and touch screen controls.

  • SpaceX spent a decade developing and testing the spacecraft.

  • The Crew Dragon capsule is completely self-contained, so astronauts will primarily need to monitor systems and stay in contact with mission control unless something goes wrong.

3 hours ago

Why is it called 'Crew-1'?

By CNN Business Jackie Wattles

This is considered the first fully operational mission of the Crew Dragon spacecraft.

From now on, any mission that SpaceX flies on behalf of NASA will have “Crew” names: the Crew-2 mission, the next to take off after Crew-1, is scheduled to fly in spring 2021.

In both missions, astronauts will head to the space station to join an official ISS "Expedition," the term used to identify crews of astronauts who serve as full-time staff members on the space station.

3 hours ago

Why this mission is so important to NASA

By CNN Business Jackie Wattles

NASA has eagerly awaited this mission for a decade.

The United States has not been able to get its own astronauts to and from the International Space Station since 2011, when the Space Shuttle program was withdrawn.

For years, astronauts from around the world, including the United States, traveled aboard Russia's Soyuz spacecraft to the space station.

SpaceX changed that with the inaugural Crew Dragon manned flight over the summer.

The "Demo-2" test mission brought NASA astronauts Douglas Hurley and Robert Behnken to the ISS, where they stayed for two months.

The main objective of that trip was to collect data on the performance of the Crew Dragon bonnet.

Today, the spacecraft that carries astronauts has seen "many improvements" based on what NASA and SpaceX learned over the summer, according to Steve Stich, NASA manager for the program overseeing SpaceX's Crew Dragon.

The spacecraft's solar panels, for example, were reinforced to make them more durable.

Future plans

Now that the Dragon Crew has been officially certified as a vehicle worthy of transporting humans, NASA plans to use it and use it a lot.

The agency wants to make several trips to the ISS each year, bringing new groups of astronauts and, perhaps, one day, civilians.

Those frequent trips will keep the ISS better staffed than it has been for the past decade, and that should dramatically increase the amount of scientific research that can be carried out, according to NASA.

NASASpaceX

Source: cnnespanol

All news articles on 2020-11-16

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