{"id":17701,"date":"2020-05-30T17:07:55","date_gmt":"2020-05-30T09:07:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/light-this-candle-spacex-sends-nasa-astronauts-on-historic-trip-to-space-station-in-dragon-capsule\/"},"modified":"2020-05-30T17:07:55","modified_gmt":"2020-05-30T09:07:55","slug":"light-this-candle-spacex-sends-nasa-astronauts-on-historic-trip-to-space-station-in-dragon-capsule","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/light-this-candle-spacex-sends-nasa-astronauts-on-historic-trip-to-space-station-in-dragon-capsule\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Light this candle!\u2019 SpaceX sends NASA astronauts on historic trip to space station in Dragon capsule"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_566467\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-566467\" style=\"width: 630px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full-width wp-image-566467\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/20200530_SpaceX_Launch_41-630x504.jpg\" alt=\"SpaceX Crew Dragon Demo-2 Launch\" width=\"630\" height=\"504\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/20200530_SpaceX_Launch_41-630x504.jpg 630w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/20200530_SpaceX_Launch_41-1260x1008.jpg 1260w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/20200530_SpaceX_Launch_41-768x614.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/20200530_SpaceX_Launch_41-1536x1229.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/20200530_SpaceX_Launch_41.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 630px) 100vw, 630px\"><figcaption data-nosnippet=\"\" id=\"caption-attachment-566467\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">SpaceX\u2019s Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center, sending NASA astronauts into orbit in a Crew Dragon capsule. (GeekWire Photo \/ Kevin Lisota)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>SpaceX launched two NASA astronauts to the International Space Station today, becoming the first company to send humans to orbit on a commercial spaceship.<\/p>\n<p>The Falcon 9 rocket\u2019s liftoff from NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 3:22 p.m. ET (12:22 p.m. PT) marked a feat that Americans hadn\u2019t been able to do since NASA retired the space shuttles in 2011: sending astronauts into orbit from a U.S. launch pad rather than relying on the Russians.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is absolutely our honor to be part of this huge effort to get the United States back in the launch business,\u201d NASA astronaut Doug Hurley told SpaceX Mission Control just before liftoff.<\/p>\n<h4 class=\"callout clearfix\"><strong>President\u2019s pride:<\/strong> Donald Trump hails space effort as a force for unity<\/h4>\n<p>NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine got emotional as he reflected on the achievement. \u201cIt\u2019s been nine years since we\u2019ve launched American astronauts on American rockets from American soil, and now it\u2019s done,\u201d he said on NASA TV. \u201cWe have done it. It\u2019s been way too long.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>SpaceX CEO Elon Musk was similarly emotional, to the point that he sometimes found it hard to speak during a post-launch news conference.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is something that should really get people right in the heart, of anyone who has any spirit of exploration,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s something that humanity should be excited about and proud of occurring on this day.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>No technical issues arose during today\u2019s countdown, but the weather made it a nail-biter, just as it did during Wednesday\u2019s initial launch attempt.<\/p>\n<p>On that day, dark clouds and the accompanying risk of lightning forced a postponement. This morning, the weather forecast was 50-50, but the skies cleared enough for Hurley and his crewmate, Bob Behnken, to ride SpaceX\u2019s Crew Dragon capsule eastward into orbit.<\/p>\n<p>Ships were strategically placed in the Atlantic Ocean just in case an emergency abort and splashdown was required. (It wasn\u2019t required.) Minutes after launch, the Falcon 9\u2019s reusable first-stage booster successfully touched down on SpaceX\u2019s drone ship, christened Of Course I Still Love You.<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"SpaceX Demo-2 launch\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/tikZjwdhtSk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\" data-ratio=\"0.5625\" data-width=\"800\" data-height=\"450\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px; width: 800px; height: 450px;\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Pandemic or no pandemic, thousands of spectators flocked to roadside viewing areas surrounding the launch site. Tickets to watch the liftoff from the newly reopened Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex were sold out, and all visitors have to wear masks and undergo temperature checks.<\/p>\n<p>NASA asked people to stay home and watch the launch online or on TV. More than 10 million were watching via NASA and SpaceX at the peak, the space agency said.<\/p>\n<p>The launch-day routine began with Hurley and Behnken having breakfast and suiting up. A small contingent, including the astronauts\u2019 families, cheered as they walked out from NASA\u2019s Operations &amp; Checkout Building for their ride to the launch pad.<\/p>\n<p>In accordance with the social distancing requirements for spaceflight as well as the coronavirus pandemic, Behnken arced his arms in a \u201cvirtual hug\u201d for his wife, astronaut Megan McArthur, and their son. \u201cAre you going to be on good behavior?\u201d Behnken could be heard asking his son. \u201cAre you going to listen to Mommy and make her life easy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLet\u2019s light this candle!\u201d his son replied, echoing a phrase used by astronaut Alan Shepard just before America\u2019s first spaceflight in 1961.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLet\u2019s light this candle, I agree!\u201d Behnken said. \u201cLaunch America!\u201d<\/p>\n<style>.fotorama1782799275016 .fotorama__nav--thumbs .fotorama__nav__frame{\npadding:2px;\nheight:64px}\n.fotorama1782799275016 .fotorama__thumb-border{\nheight:60px;\nborder-width:2px;\nmargin-top:2px}<\/style>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/200530-hurley-1260x840.jpeg\" class=\"fotorama__img\" style=\"width: 600px; height: 400px; left: 100px; top: 0px;\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\tNASA astronaut Doug Hurley waves to reporters as he heads to Launch Complex 39A in a NASA-branded Tesla Model X SUV. (GeekWire Photo \/ Kevin Lisota)<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/200529-spacex4-1260x840.jpeg\" class=\"fotorama__img\" style=\"width: 600px; height: 400px; left: 100px; top: 0px;\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\tA black-and-white infrared view shows the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket alongside its launch tower, with the pad\u2019s water tower in the foreground. (GeekWire Photo \/ Kevin Lisota)<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/2005-behnken.jpg\" class=\"fotorama__img\" style=\"width: 523.077px; height: 400px; left: 138.462px; top: 0px;\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\tNASA astronaut Bob Behnken waves to onlookers during the traditional crew walkout. (NASA Photo \/ Bill Ingalls)<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/200530-hurley-1260x840.jpeg\" class=\"fotorama__img\" style=\"width: 96px; height: 64px; left: 0px; top: 0px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/2005-behnken.jpg\" class=\"fotorama__img\" style=\"width: 84px; height: 64.2353px; left: 0px; top: -0.117647px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/200530-walkout-1260x709.jpg\" class=\"fotorama__img\" style=\"width: 114px; height: 64.1476px; left: 0px; top: -0.0738095px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/200529-spacex3-1260x785.jpeg\" class=\"fotorama__img\" style=\"width: 103px; height: 64.1706px; left: 0px; top: -0.0853175px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/200529-spacex2-1260x767.jpeg\" class=\"fotorama__img\" style=\"width: 105.137px; height: 64px; left: -0.0684485px; top: 0px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/200529-spacex4-1260x840.jpeg\" class=\"fotorama__img\" style=\"width: 96px; height: 64px; left: 0px; top: 0px;\"><\/p>\n<p>Then he and Hurley headed to the pad in a Tesla Model X SUV, an update on the traditional \u201cAstrovan\u201d that\u2019s also a nod to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk\u2019s other company. SpaceX\u2019s launch-pad ninjas \u2014 so named because of their black uniforms, caps and masks \u2014 strapped the astronauts into their seats and closed the hatch for launch.<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps not so coincidentally, the last words that were heard from Hurley before liftoff were, \u201cLight this candle!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Just after the Crew Dragon made it to orbit, Hurley told SpaceX\u2019s Falcon 9 team that the ascent was \u201cincredible.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThanks for the great ride to space,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Hurley and Behnken, who are both experienced shuttle astronauts, are scheduled to rendezvous with the space station on Sunday after a 19-hour trip. They\u2019ll move in alongside the station\u2019s current occupants, NASA\u2019s Chris Cassidy and Russia\u2019s Anatoly Ivanishin. NASA hasn\u2019t yet decided how long the Dragon riders will spend in orbit. Their stay could be as short as six weeks, or as long as 16 weeks, depending on how the test mission proceeds.<\/p>\n<p>For the return trip, Hurley and Behnken will strap themselves back inside the Dragon and descend to an Atlantic splashdown.<\/p>\n<p>This whole flight serves as an initial demonstration of the Crew Dragon\u2019s capabilities with an actual crew aboard. If the mission is successful, yet another Crew Dragon will carry four different astronauts to the space station weeks after Hurley and Behnken return.<\/p>\n<p>Having the Crew Dragon would free NASA from having to pay the Russians upwards of $80 million a seat for rides to and from the space station, which is the whole point of the commercial crew program.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"SpaceX and NASA reset for historic launch\" src=\"https:\/\/omny.fm\/shows\/geekwire-podcast\/spacex-and-nasa-reset-for-historic-launch\/embed\" width=\"100%\" height=\"180\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Back in 2014, NASA pledged $4.2 billion to Boeing and $2.6 billion to SpaceX to develop spacecraft that would essentially provide taxi rides to orbit. SpaceX built an upgraded version of its robotic cargo-carrying Dragon, which has been used for space station resupply since 2012. Boeing built a whole new spaceship called the CST-100 Starliner.<\/p>\n<p>The Crew Dragon flew a successful uncrewed test mission in March 2019, but the Starliner suffered glitches during its uncrewed test flight to orbit last December. Now Boeing will have to redo Starliner\u2019s robotic test, giving SpaceX a clear shot at making space history (and winning a capture-the-flag contest in the process).<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s important to note that SpaceX, not NASA, owns the space-taxi hardware \u2014 just as a terrestrial taxi company owns the car. NASA has put in orders to ferry up to four astronauts at a time, but SpaceX can fly other riders as well.<\/p>\n<h4 class=\"callout clearfix\"><strong>A new name in space:<\/strong> Crew Dragon\u2019s astronauts christen their spaceship<\/h4>\n<p>In partnership with Space Adventures, the company is already offering free-flying orbital trips that would go higher than the space station. There\u2019s even talk of having Tom Cruise ride the Dragon to the space station to film a movie. That would require NASA\u2019s go-ahead, but on Wednesday, Bridenstine said he\u2019s \u201call for that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI really think, when we look into the future, we\u2019re going to see these models of doing business with public-private partnerships apply not just to low Earth orbit \u2026 but we\u2019re taking this model to the moon and even on to Mars,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos\u2019 space venture, Blue Origin, is already heading one of the teams aiming to develop lunar landers for NASA\u2019s use. So is SpaceX, which is offering its next-generation Starship super-rocket. The next space race to watch may not be the U.S. vs. China so much as it is Bezos vs. Musk.<\/p>\n<p><em>This report was first published at 7:45 a.m. PT May 30 and updated frequently since then.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>SpaceX\u2019s Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center, sending NASA astronauts into orbit in a Crew Dragon capsule. (GeekWire Photo \/ Kevin Lisota) SpaceX launched two NASA astronauts to the International Space Station today, becoming the first company to send humans to orbit on a commercial spaceship. The Falcon 9 rocket\u2019s liftoff [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[291,235,479,4434,717,190,21,316],"class_list":["post-17701","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-commercial-space","tag-crew-dragon","tag-falcon-9","tag-falcon-launch","tag-international-space-station","tag-nasa","tag-space","tag-spacex"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17701"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17701"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17701\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17701"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17701"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17701"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}