{"id":37629,"date":"2020-05-02T21:23:04","date_gmt":"2020-05-02T13:23:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/nasa-spacex-enters-the-critical-month-of-may-on-track-to-end-the-gap\/"},"modified":"2020-05-02T21:23:04","modified_gmt":"2020-05-02T13:23:04","slug":"nasa-spacex-enters-the-critical-month-of-may-on-track-to-end-the-gap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/nasa-spacex-enters-the-critical-month-of-may-on-track-to-end-the-gap\/","title":{"rendered":"NASA, SpaceX enters the critical month of May on track to end the gap"},"content":{"rendered":"

With the news SpaceX completed the 27th and the final test of the upgraded Mark-3 parachutes for the Crew Dragon spacecraft on the day of a series of flagship news conferences, there is growing excitement ahead of the return to US domestic crew launch capability as soon as the end of this month.  SpaceX\u2019s Demonstration Mission-2 (DM-2) mission duration also received an update, with NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine noting it will be extended from its shorter planned stay.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have extended planned length of Demo-2 from standard test flight to ensure Behnken & Hurley can participate as Expedition 63 crew members,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n

Bridenstine also repeated his message that NASA does not want tourists and other space fans to travel to the Kennedy Space Center for the DM-2 launch due to COVID-19 concerns. Instead, he hopes the public would follow the mission at home on NASA TV.<\/p>\n

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The recent MK3 parachute test. Photo Credit: SpaceX.<\/p>\n

The crew will consist of Doug Hurley as \u201cSpacecraft Commander\u201d and Bob Behnken as \u201cJoint Operations Commander\u201d.<\/p>\n

Hurley previously flew on STS-127 and the final Shuttle mission, STS-135 in 2011. Behnken previously flew on STS-123 and STS-130. Behnken also was assigned to STS-400 which was a contingency rescue mission that was never needed.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust yesterday (April 30), we had an all-day meeting doing our staged Operational Readiness Review for the SpaceX Demo-2 launch,\u201d said Kirk Shireman, NASA Program Manager, International Space Station.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am very pleased to announce that we passed that review successfully and moving on to our subsequent milestones culminating in a Flight Readiness Review and Launch Readiness Reviews in the very near future.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was revealed during the press conference that one issue from the Mission Elapsed Time (MET) anomaly \u2013 which occurred on the maiden flight of Boeing\u2019s CST-100 Starliner, Orbital Flight Test-1 \u2013 did impact on the preparations for the Crew Dragon\u2019s flight.<\/p>\n

SpaceX was directed by NASA to make sure that Crew Dragon could lock on to the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) network after launch, as already proven during the previous DM-1 mission in 2019.<\/p>\n

Space tourism guides<\/path>SpaceX<\/path>Space Shuttle<\/path>\n

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\u201cI want to make it clear that this is one of many exciting and hard days we have in front of us. Gwynne\u2019s team and my team are intelligently working on getting the vehicles ready,\u201d said Kathy Lueders, NASA Program Manager, Commercial Crew Program \u2013 pointing to numerous milestones yet to be passed in the run-up to launch.<\/p>\n

This includes May 4, when the crew will participate in a Crew Dry Dress Rehearsal for the launch, similar to the one prior to the In-Flight Abort test in January.<\/p>\n

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Hurley and Behnken stand next to one of the two Tesla Model Xs. Photo Credit: NASA.<\/p>\n

The crew will enter quarantine starting May 16 at NASA\u2019s Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX. After a period of time, Hurley and Behnken will fly east to NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center where they will enter their stay in the Crew Quarters.<\/p>\n

Crew Quarters is where NASA mission crews stay prior to launch. The complex has been renovated from its configuration from the Shuttle Program.<\/p>\n

The launch of Demo-2 is currently scheduled for May 27.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have worked with NASA since 2006, and all that work is culminating in this historic event that we have up and coming in the next few weeks. My heart is up to here (throat) and I think it is going to stay there until we get Bob and Doug safely back from the International Space Station,\u201d added SpaceX President and Chief Operating Officer, Gwynne Shotwell.<\/p>\n

Hurley and Behnken will enter the suit-up room and will don their SpaceX launch and entry suits at about four hours prior to launch. Around three hours before launch, the crew will depart the Crew Quarters inside one of the two white Tesla Model X cars, an expected move from Elon Musk\u2019s SpaceX. The vehicles will be located in the middle of a motorcade for security reasons, like Shuttle missions in the past.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n