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Friday, April 22, 2022

SpaceX Crew-4: Ready for Launch | NASA's Kennedy Space Center

SpaceX Crew-4: Ready for Launch | NASA's Kennedy Space Center

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 astronauts, from left, Jessica Watson, Bob Hines, and Kjell Lindgren, and European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti of Italy stand inside the crew access arm at Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A during a dry dress rehearsal on April 20, 2022.

Named Freedom by the Crew-4 crew, SpaceX’s Crew Dragon will carry the astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program (CCP). Liftoff, powered by SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, is targeted for no earlier than 4:15 a.m. EDT on Tuesday, April 26, 2022. Crew-4 will be the first spaceflight for Hines and Watkins and the second flight for Lindgren and Cristoforetti.

Credit: SpaceX

Image Date: April 20, 2022

#NASA #Space #SpaceX #SpaceXCrew4 #ISS #CrewDragon #Spacecraft #Freedom #Science #Technology #Engineering #UnitedStates #LaunchAmerica #CCP #CommercialCrewProgram #Human #Spaceflight #Expedition67 #STEM #Education

Earth from Orbit: NOAA Satellites Celebrate Earth Day 2022

Earth from Orbit: NOAA Satellites Celebrate Earth Day 2022!

Throughout history, humans have wondered what Earth looked like from above.

The Mesopotamians believed the world was a flat disk floating in an ocean, while Hindu mythology says the Earth is supported by four elephants standing on the back of a giant turtle. Others imagined the world as part of a giant tree, among other ideas.

The ancient Greeks first suggested the world was spherical, and Ptolemy is credited as the first to conceive of the world in mathematical terms, publishing his treatise Geographia in AD 150. By the Middle Ages, the belief in a spherical Earth in Europe was relatively widespread.

With the birth of the space age, our actual view of the planet from above has changed as well. From blurry images that were stitched together with no frame of reference as to where they were looking, to today’s modern high resolution imagery, our perspective and ideas about what makes the world go round are constantly changing and improving.

Since 1970–also the year of the first official Earth Day–National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) satellites have been monitoring Earth’s weather, environment, oceans, and climate, building upon early pioneering efforts by NASA and others. They provide critical information that feeds forecasts and warns us of severe weather and environmental hazards. NOAA operates two primary types of satellites: geostationary and polar-orbiting.

Credits:

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA)

Music:

“Simple Plans,” by Sam Hamilton [PRS]; Volta Music; Universal Production Music

Credit: NOAA Satellites

Duration: 2 minutes, 16 seconds

Release Date: April 22, 2022

#NASA #NOAA #Earth #EarthDay #OrbitalPerspective #Satellites #Planet #Atmosphere #Weather #Meteorology #Envionment #Climate #ClimateChange #GlobalWarming #Oceans #Science #Technology #UnitedStates #STEM #History #Humanity #Education #HD #Video

Happy Earth Day! | Axiom Space 1 Mission | International Space Station

Happy Earth Day! | Axiom Space 1 Mission | International Space Station

Axiom 1 Mission Commander Michael López-Alegría: "Going to space is an amazing adventure, but more than anything else it offers perspective in the most literal sense. You see the world differently and come home with a new frame of reference- a new way of looking at the world. We are all far more alike than we are different."

As the International Space Station orbits Earth, its four pairs of solar arrays soak up the sun’s energy to provide electrical power for the numerous research and science investigations conducted every day, as well as the continued operations of the orbiting platform.

Former NASA astronaut, Michael López-Alegría, is vice-president of business development for Axiom Space. López-Alegría has flown four times in space already on space shuttle missions STS-73, STS-92, and STS- 113. He was also the commander of International Space Station (ISS) Expedition 14, coming to and from the space station aboard a Russian Soyuz TMA-9.

Ax-1 crew members Commander Michael López-Alegría of Spain and the United States, Pilot Larry Connor of the United States, and Mission Specialists Eytan Stibbe of Israel, and Mark Pathy of Canada are on a 10-day space mission. The crew is spending over eight days on the International Space Station conducting scientific research, outreach, and commercial activities.

Learn more about Ax-1 at Axiom Space: https://www.axiomspace.com

Credit: Michael López-Alegría/Axiom Space

Image Date: April 21, 2022

#NASA #Space #ISS #Earth #EarthDay #OverviewEffect #OrbitalPerspective #AxiomSpace #Ax1 #PlvsVltra #FurtherBeyond #PrivateMission #Astronauts #MichaelLópezAlegría #Spain #Espana #España #UnitedStates #Science #Technology #SolarArrays #RenewableEnergy #STEM #Education

NASA's Space to Ground: Home: Week of April 22, 2022

NASA's Space to Ground: Home | Week of April 22, 2022

HAPPY EARTH DAY!

The four private astronauts from Axiom Space are now due to depart the International Space Station on Saturday night, April 23, 2022 and return to Earth the next day. Four commercial crew astronauts are also looking ahead to their mission aboard the orbiting lab set to begin after the Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1) crew departs.

NASA, SpaceX and Axiom Space are planning for the Ax-1 crew to undock from the station inside the Dragon Endeavour crew ship on Saturday at 6:35 p.m. EDT. Ax-1 Commander Michael Lopez-Alegria will lead Pilot Larry Connor and Mission Specialists Mark Pathy and Eytan Stibbe back to Earth inside Endeavour for a splash down at 1:46 p.m. on Sunday off the coast of Florida.

The SpaceX Crew-4 mission awaits its launch date as mission managers monitor weather conditions at the Ax-1 splashdown site and review mission data after Endeavour’s return. The Falcon 9 rocket that will the launch the Crew-4 astronauts to space inside the Dragon Freedom crew ship successfully fired its nine Merlin engines on Wednesday during its static fire test. In the meantime, Crew-4 Commander Kjell Lindgren with Pilot Robert Hines and Mission Specialists Jessica Watkins and Samantha Cristoforetti, continue training for their mission while in quarantine at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

NASA's Space to Ground is your weekly update on what's happening aboard the International Space Station.

An international partnership of space agencies provides and operates the elements of the International Space Station (ISS). The principals are the space agencies of the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada. The ISS has been the most politically complex space exploration program ever undertaken.

Learn more about the important research being operated on Station:

https://www.nasa.gov/iss-science

For more information about STEM on Station:

https://www.nasa.gov/stemonstation

Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)

Duration: 3 minutes, 25 seconds

Release Date: April 22, 2022

#NASA #Space #ISS #Earth #EarthDay #AxiomSpace #Ax1 #SpaceX #CrewDragon #SpaceXCrew4 #Spacecraft #Astronauts #Spain #Espana #UnitedStates #EytanStibbe #Israel #Russia #Россия #Roscosmos #Canada #Europe #ESA #Science #Research #Expedition67 #HD #Video

Thursday, April 21, 2022

NASA’s Perseverance Mars Rover Starts New Science Campaign at River Delta | JPL

NASA’s Perseverance Mars Rover Starts New Science Campaign at River Delta | JPL

MSL - Sol 3447 - MAHLI | Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS/Kevin M. Gill | Release Date: April 18, 2022

MSL - Sol 3447 - MastCam | Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS/Kevin M. Gill | Release Date: April 19, 2022

Mars2020 - Sol 411 - Mastcam-Z | Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/Kevin M. Gill | Image Date: April 18, 2022

MSL - Sol 3444 - MastCam | Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS/Kevin M. Gill | Image Date: April 17, 2022

After collecting eight rock-core samples from its first science campaign and completing a record-breaking, 31-Martian-day (or sol) dash across about 3 miles (5 kilometers) of Mars, NASA’s Perseverance rover arrived at the doorstep of Jezero Crater’s ancient river delta April 13. Dubbed “Three Forks” by the Perseverance team (a reference to the spot where three route options to the delta merge), the location serves as the staging area for the rover’s second science expedition, the “Delta Front Campaign.”

“The delta at Jezero Crater promises to be a veritable geologic feast and one of the best locations on Mars to look for signs of past microscopic life,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, the associate administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. “The answers are out there—and Team Perseverance is ready to find them.”

The delta, a massive fan-shaped collection of rocks and sediment at the western edge of Jezero Crater, formed at the convergence of a Martian river and a crater lake billions of years ago. Its exploration tops the Perseverance science team’s wish list because all the fine-grained sediment deposited at its base long ago is the mission’s best bet for finding the preserved remnants of ancient microbial life.

Using a drill on the end of its robotic arm and a complex sample collection system, Perseverance is gathering rock cores for return to Earth—the first part of the Mars Sample Return campaign.

“We’ve been eyeing the delta from a distance for more than a year while we explored the crater floor,” said Ken Farley, Perseverance project scientist at Caltech in Pasadena. “At the end of our fast traverse, we are finally able to get close to it, obtaining images of ever-greater detail revealing where we can best explore these important rocks.”

Caption Credit: NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)

Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS/Kevin M. Gill

Image Release Dates: April 17-21, 2022

#NASA #Space #Astronomy #Science #Mars #RedPlanet #Planet #River #Delta #KodiakHill #Astrobiology #Geology #Jezero #Crater #Perseverance #Rover #Robotics #Technology #JPL #Pasadena #California #UnitedStates #JourneyToMars #STEM #Education

View of SpaceX Dragon Endurance Crew Ship | International Space Station

View of SpaceX Dragon Endurance | International Space Station

The SpaceX Dragon Endurance crew ship is pictured from a window aboard the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour crew ship. Endurance is docked to the Harmony module's forward-facing port while Endeavour is docked to Harmony's space-facing port on the International Space Station.

Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC)

Image Date: April 12, 2022

#NASA #Space #SpaceX #ISS #CrewDragon #Spacecraft #Endeavour #Endurance #DragonCrew3 #Science #Technology #Engineering #UnitedStates #LaunchAmerica #CommercialCrewProgram #CCP #Human #Spaceflight #Expedition66 #Expedition67 #STEM #Education

SpaceX Crew-4 Suit-Up & Walkout Rehearsal | NASA's Kennedy Space Center

SpaceX Crew-4 Suit-Up & Walkout Rehearsal | NASA's Kennedy Space Center

Four commercial crew astronauts representing NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) are scheduled to launch no earlier than April 26, 2022, from NASA's Kennedy Space Center inside the SpaceX Dragon Freedom crew ship and dock to the same port vacated by the Ax-1 mission on Sunday at 6 a.m. The quartet commanded by NASA’s Kjell Lindgren, with Pilot Robert Hines and Mission Specialists Jessica Watkins of NASA and the European Space Agency's Samantha Cristoforetti of Italy, will live and work aboard the orbiting lab for just over four-and-a-half months. The Crew-4 astronauts will become Expedition 67 flight engineers after they open the hatches and enter the space station.

ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti gives a thumbs-up in the suit room inside Kennedy Space Center’s Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building during Crew-4 dry dress rehearsal on April 20, 2022.

NASA astronaut Jessica Watson smiles in the suit room inside Kennedy Space Center’s Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building during NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 dry dress rehearsal on April 20, 2022.

NASA astronaut Bob Hines relaxes in the suit room inside Kennedy Space Center’s Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building during NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 dry dress rehearsal on April 20, 2022.

NASA astronaut Kjell Lindgren gets assistance in the suit room inside Kennedy Space Center’s Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building during NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 dry dress rehearsal on April 20, 2022.

Crew-4 mission astronauts Bob Hines, Kjell Lindgren, Jessica Watkins, and Samantha Cristoforetti walk out of the Astronaut Crew Quarters inside Kennedy Space Center’s Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building during a dry dress rehearsal on April 20, 2022. A team of SpaceX suit technicians assisted them as they put on their custom-fitted spacesuits and checked the suits for leaks.

SpaceX Crew-4 Flag Raising

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 flag is raised near the News Center countdown clock at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 19, 2022. The SpaceX Falcon 9 with Crew Dragon, named Freedom by the Crew-4 crew, atop is scheduled to lift off Saturday, April 23, 2002, at 5:26 p.m. EDT, from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy. Dragon will carry NASA astronauts Kjell Lindgren, Bob Hines, and Jessica Watkins, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti to the International Space Station as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.

Caption Credit: NASA's Kennedy Space Center

Image Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Image Date: April 20, 2022

#NASA #ESA #SpaceX #Falcon9 #Rocket #CrewDragon #Freedom #ISS #Earth #Science #Astronaut #Astronauts #KjellLindgren #JessicaWatkins #RobertHines #SamanthaCristoforetti #Minerva #Italy #Italia #Human #Spaceflight #Crew4 #CCP #LaunchComplex39A #Kennedy #KSC #Florida #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

ESA Astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti's Arrival | NASA's Kennedy Space Center

ESA Astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti's Arrival | NASA's Kennedy Space Center

European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti arrives at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA, with NASA astronauts Kjell Lindgren, Bob Hines and Jessica Watkins on April 18, 2022.

Collectively known as SpaceX Crew-4, the astronauts flew in from Houston, Texas, and are spending this week in quarantine before being launched to the International Space Station on a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft.

When they arrive at the International Space Station (ISS), Samantha’s Minerva mission will officially begin. This is the second long-duration space mission for Samantha who first flew to the orbital outpost in 2014 for her Italian Space Agency (ASI) sponsored mission Futura.

Samantha will be welcomed on board by fellow ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer and enjoy a short handover in orbit before Matthias returns to Earth in April as part of SpaceX Crew-3.

Throughout her mission, Samantha will hold the role of US Orbital Segment (USOS) lead, taking responsibility for all operations within the US, European, Japanese and Canadian modules and components of the Space Station. She will support around 35 European and many more international experiments in orbit.

Learn more about Mission Minerva: https://bit.ly/MissionMinerva

Credit: European Space Agency (ESA)

Duration: 6 minutes, 45 seconds

Release Date: April 20, 2022

Wednesday, April 20, 2022

SpaceX Crew-4 Suit Up for Dragon | NASA's Kennedy Space Center

SpaceX Crew-4 Suit Up for Dragon | NASA's Kennedy Space Center

Four commercial crew astronauts representing NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) are scheduled to launch at 5:26 a.m. EDT on Saturday, April 23, 2022, from NASA's Kennedy Space Center inside the SpaceX Dragon Freedom crew ship and dock to the same port vacated by the Ax-1 mission on Sunday at 6 a.m. The quartet commanded by NASA’s Kjell Lindgren, with Pilot Robert Hines and Mission Specialists Jessica Watkins of NASA and the European Space Agency's Samantha Cristoforetti of Italy, will live and work aboard the orbiting lab for just over four-and-a-half months. The Crew-4 astronauts will become Expedition 67 flight engineers after they open the hatches and enter the space station.

Crew-4 astronauts, from left, Jessica Watson, mission specialist; Bob Hines, pilot; Kjell Lindgren, commander and Samantha Cristoforetti, mission specialist, pose outside SpaceX’s Crew Dragon, named Freedom by the Crew-4 crew, during a dry dress rehearsal at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 20, 2022.

Image Credit: SpaceX

Crew-4 astronauts, from left, Jessica Watson, mission specialist; Bob Hines, pilot; Kjell Lindgren, commander and Samantha Cristoforetti, mission specialist, are positioned inside SpaceX’s Crew Dragon, named Freedom by the Crew-4 crew, during a dry dress rehearsal at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 20, 2022.

Image Credit: SpaceX

Crew-4 mission astronauts participate in NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 dry dress rehearsal in the suit room inside Kennedy Space Center’s Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building on April 20, 2022. A team of SpaceX suit technicians assisted them as they put on their custom-fitted spacesuits and checked the suits for leaks. From left are: Jessica Watkins, mission specialist; Bob Hines, pilot; Kjell Lindgren, commander; and Samantha Cristoforetti, mission specialist.

Image Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 astronauts—from front, left to right—Bob Hines, Kjell Lindgren, Jessica Watson, and Samantha Cristoforetti walk out through the double doors below the Neil A. Armstrong Building’s Astronaut Crew Quarters at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida for a dry dress rehearsal on April 20, 2022.

Image Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover Sees Solar Eclipse | JPL

NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover Sees Solar Eclipse | JPL

NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover used its Mastcam-Z camera system to shoot video of Phobos, one of Mars’ two moons, eclipsing the Sun. It’s the most zoomed-in, highest frame-rate observation of a Phobos solar eclipse ever taken from the Martian surface.

Several Mars rovers have observed Phobos crossing in front of the Sun over the past 18 years. Spirit and Opportunity made the first observations back in 2004; Curiosity in 2019 was the first to record video of the event. Each time these eclipses are observed, they allow scientists to measure subtle shifts in Phobos’ orbit over time. The moon’s tidal forces pull on the deep interior of the Red Planet, as well as its crust and mantle; studying how much Phobos shifts over time reveals something about how resistant the crust and mantle are, and thus what kinds of materials they are made of.

The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is part of NASA’s Moon to Mars exploration approach, which includes Artemis missions to the Moon that will help prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet.

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS/SSI

Duration: 49 seconds

Release Date: April 20, 2022

The Great Lakes | Axiom 1 Mission | International Space Station

The Great Lakes | Axiom 1 Mission | International Space Station

Axiom 1 Mission Commander Michael López-Alegría: "Very soon I get to fly back home, on a dragon, to this beautiful planet! 📸"

The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America or the Laurentian Great Lakes, is a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes with sea-like characteristics in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. They are Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario and are in general on or near the Canada–United States border. Hydrologically, there are four lakes, because lakes Michigan and Huron join at the Straits of Mackinac. The Great Lakes Waterway enables modern travel and shipping by water among the lakes.

The Great Lakes are the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total area and are second-largest by total volume, containing 21% of the world's surface fresh water by volume.

Learn more about Ax-1 at Axiom Space: https://www.axiomspace.com

Credit: Michael López-Alegría/Axiom Space

Image Date: April 18, 2022

#NASA #Space #ISS #Earth #TheGreatLakes #LakesSuperior #LakeMichigan #LakeHuron #LakeErie #LakeOntario #Canada #OverviewEffect #AxiomSpace #Ax1 #PlvsVltra #FurtherBeyond #PrivateMission #Astronauts #MichaelLópezAlegría #Spain #Espana #España #UnitedStates #Science #NorthAmerica #STEM #Education

SpaceX Crew-4 Falcon 9 Rocket & Crew Dragon | NASA's Kennedy Space Center

SpaceX Crew-4 Falcon 9 Rocket & Crew Dragon | NASA's Kennedy Space Center

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is vertical with the company’s Crew Dragon atop for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 mission at Launch Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 19, 2022. NASA astronauts Kjell Lindgren, Bob Hines, and Jessica Watson, along with European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, will launch aboard Dragon, named Freedom by the Crew-4 crew, atop the Falcon 9 on April 23, 2022, to the International Space Station (ISS). Launch is targeted for 5:26 a.m. EDT from Pad 39A. The astronauts will conduct scientific research in areas such as materials science, health technologies, and plant science to prepare for human exploration beyond low-Earth orbit.

Credit: NASA's Kennedy Space Center

Image Date: April 19, 2022

SpaceX Crew-4: Launch Week Preparations | Kennedy Space Center

SpaceX Crew-4: Launch Week Preparations | Kennedy Space Center

Four commercial crew astronauts representing NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) are scheduled to launch at 5:26 a.m. EDT on Saturday, April 23, 2022, from NASA's Kennedy Space Center inside the SpaceX Dragon Freedom crew ship and dock to the same port vacated by the Ax-1 mission on Sunday at 6 a.m. The quartet commanded by NASA’s Kjell Lindgren, with Pilot Robert Hines and Mission Specialists Jessica Watkins of NASA and ESA’s Samantha Cristoforetti, will live and work aboard the orbiting lab for just over four-and-a-half months. The Crew-4 astronauts will become Expedition 67 flight engineers after they open the hatches and enter the space station.

NASA Hosts Virtual Media Event for the Agency’s SpaceX Crew-4

From left, NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins, Bob Hines, and Kjell Lindgren, and European Space Agency astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti smile during NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 virtual media engagement event at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 19, 2022.

Image Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett | Image Date: April 19, 2022

SpaceX Crew-4 Dress Rehearsal

From left to right, NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins, Robert Hines, and Kjell Lindgren, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, wearing SpaceX spacesuits, are seen as they prepare to depart the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building for Launch Complex 39A during a dress rehearsal prior to the Crew-4 mission launch, Wednesday, April 20, 2022, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Image Credit: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani

Image Date: April 20, 2022

Tuesday, April 19, 2022

Axiom 1 Mission Farewell Ceremony | International Space Station

Axiom 1 Mission Farewell Ceremony | International Space Station

On Tuesday morning, April 19, 2022, Axiom Space and NASA held a farewell ceremony between the Ax-1 and Expedition 67 crews aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Ax-1 is the first private astronaut mission to the International Space Station. Ax-1 crew members are Commander Michael López-Alegría of Spain and the United States, Pilot Larry Connor of the United States, and Mission Specialists Eytan Stibbe of Israel, and Mark Pathy of Canada. During their 10-day mission, the crew spent over eight days on the International Space Station (ISS) conducting scientific research, outreach, and commercial activities.

Learn more about Ax-1 at Axiom Space: https://www.axiomspace.com

Credit: Axiom Space

Duration: 9 minutes, 19 seconds

Release Date: April 19, 2022

#NASA #Space #ISS #Axiom #AxiomSpace #Ax1 #SpaceX #CrewDragon #Falcon9 #Rocket #Artemis #ArtemisI #Orion #Spacecraft #SLS #Private #Crew #Mission #Astronauts #MichaelLópezAlegría #Spain #Espana #LarryConnor #UnitedStates #EytanStibbe #Israel #MarkPathy #Canada #Science #Research #STEM #Education #HD #Video

SpaceX Crew-4 Dragon Rollout | NASA's Kennedy Space Center

SpaceX Crew-4 Dragon Rollout | NASA's Kennedy Space Center

SpaceX’s Crew Dragon—named Freedom by the Crew-4 astronauts—atop the company’s Falcon 9 rocket, leaves the SpaceX integration hangar adjacent to NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A for rollout to the launch pad on April 19, 2022.

NASA astronauts Kjell Lindgren, Bob Hines, and Jessica Watkins, and European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, who arrived at Kennedy one day ago, will fly to the International Space Station on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 mission. Liftoff is targeted for Saturday, April 23, at 5:26 a.m. EDT.

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 mission is the fourth crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program.

Image Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

Image Date: April 19, 2022

#NASA #ESA #SpaceX #Falcon9 #Rocket #CrewDragon #ISS #Earth #Science #Astronaut #Astronauts #KjellLindgren #JessicaWatkins #RobertHines #SamanthaCristoforetti #Minerva #Italy #Italia #Human #Spaceflight #Crew4 #LaunchComplex39A #Kennedy #KSC #Florida #UnitedStates #STEM #Education

SpaceX Crew-4 Falcon 9 Rocket Rollout | NASA's Kennedy Space Center

SpaceX Crew-4 Falcon 9 Rocket Rollout | NASA's Kennedy Space Center

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft onboard is seen as it is rolled out to the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A as preparations continue for the Crew-4 mission, Tuesday, April 19, 2022, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 mission is the fourth crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. NASA astronauts Kjell Lindgren, Robert Hines, Jessica Watkins, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti are scheduled to launch on April 23 at 5:26 a.m. EDT, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center.

Image Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky

Image Date: April 19, 2022

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Friday, April 22, 2022

Thursday, April 21, 2022

Wednesday, April 20, 2022

Tuesday, April 19, 2022