Crew 10 Liftoff – 7:03 pm EDT on March 14 (Picture: Burt Dicht).
By Burt Dicht
NSS Managing Director of Membership
The Florida sky offered a surprising backdrop for the pre-sundown launch of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission on Friday, March 14, because the Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Kennedy Area Heart’s historic Launch Advanced 39A at 7:03 p.m. EDT. The launch was initially scheduled for March 12 however was delayed on account of a hydraulic system problem with a floor assist clamp arm on the Falcon 9. SpaceX engineers resolved the issue by clearing trapped air from the strains. Nonetheless, unfavorable climate on March 13 led to an additional delay, pushing the launch to Friday night.
Crew-10 marks SpaceX’s tenth crew rotation mission with Crew Dragon and the eleventh astronaut flight to the Worldwide Area Station (ISS) underneath NASA’s Business Crew Program. On board the Dragon are NASA astronauts Anne McClain, commander, and Nichole Ayers, pilot, together with mission specialists Takuya Onishi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Company (JAXA) and Kirill Peskov of Roscosmos. The crew will spend the subsequent six months aboard the ISS.
For McClain, that is her second journey into house. A NASA astronaut since 2013, she beforehand spent 204 days on the ISS throughout Expeditions 58 and 59, finishing two spacewalks totaling greater than 13 hours. McClain is a colonel within the U.S. Military and a Grasp Military Aviator with over 2,000 flight hours in 20 totally different plane.
Ayers is embarking on her first spaceflight. A significant within the U.S. Air Drive and a member of NASA’s 2021 astronaut class, she is the primary of her class assigned to a flight. She brings intensive expertise as an teacher pilot and mission commander in each the T-38 and F-22 Raptor, with over 1,400 flight hours, together with 200 in fight.
Onishi is returning for his second mission to the ISS. He beforehand served as a flight engineer on Expeditions 48 and 49 in 2016, spending 113 days in house. He continues to signify JAXA in worldwide missions. Peskov is making his first spaceflight. Chosen as a Roscosmos cosmonaut in 2018, he beforehand labored as a business pilot on Boeing 757 and 767 plane.
Arrival and Ultimate Preparations
The launch buildup started on March 7 when the Crew 10 astronauts arrived at Kennedy Area Heart. After a two-hour flight, their Gulfstream jet landed on the Launch and Touchdown Facility simply after 2:45 p.m. EST. The crew was welcomed by NASA officers and the media. Commander McClain provided remarks in regards to the mission, emphasizing the significance of the ISS in advancing science and worldwide cooperation.
Following their arrival, the crew entered quarantine on the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Constructing to safeguard their well being earlier than launch. On March 9, they accomplished their dry gown rehearsal—donning their SpaceX Crew Dragon fits and working towards each section of the countdown and boarding course of. The launch delay gave the crew further time to arrange and even chill out for a quick go to to the astronaut seashore home.
The Launch and What Comes Subsequent
Commander McClain shared a heartfelt post-launch message, underscoring the importance of worldwide collaboration and the resilience of human house exploration. Crew 10, driving aboard the Endurance spacecraft, is scheduled to dock with the ISS at 11:30 p.m. EDT on March 15.
After arriving on the station, Crew 10 will conduct a quick handover with Crew 9, who’re presently aboard the ISS. Following the transition, Crew 9 will put together for his or her return to Earth. NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who’ve been on the station since June after launching on Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, will return dwelling. Initially deliberate as an eight-day take a look at flight, their mission has now reached 9 months. Additionally returning on the Crew 9 spacecraft are astronaut Nick Hague and cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov. Steve Stich, supervisor of NASA’s Business Crew Program, said on the post-launch press convention that Crew 9 will depart the ISS no sooner than Wednesday (March 19).
Crew 10 will be part of Expedition 72, transitioning to Expedition 73 in April. Throughout their mission, they’ll conduct station upkeep, have interaction with college students around the globe by way of ham radio, and perform scientific analysis. Their research will deal with the physiological and psychological results of long-duration spaceflight, supporting NASA’s objectives for future missions to the Moon and Mars.
Historic Timing and Milestones
An surprising spotlight of the launch delay was the Falcon 9 and Crew Dragon witnessing a lunar eclipse. A SpaceX engineer captured a picture of the “Blood Moon” rising above the rocket (see picture). The March 14 launch coincided with Pi Day and the twenty third anniversary of SpaceX’s founding in 2002. Up to now, SpaceX has launched 44 Dragon spacecraft to the ISS—14 of them carrying crews.
As Crew 10 begins their six-month keep aboard the ISS, they carry ahead NASA’s mission of exploration and worldwide partnership. With skilled astronauts and expert first-time fliers, Crew 10 represents the persevering with course of in sustaining humanity’s foothold in low Earth orbit and constructing expertise in long-duration spaceflight that can be obligatory for house settlement.
