NASAs SpaceX Crew-4 astronauts participate in a training session at SpaceX head office in Hawthorne, CA. From left to right: NASA astronaut and SpaceX Crew-4 objective professional Jessica Watkins; NASA astronaut and SpaceX Crew-4 pilot Robert “Bob” Hines; NASA astronaut and SpaceX Crew-4 commander Kjell Lindgren; and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut and Crew-4 mission expert Samantha Cristoforetti of Italy. The main crew picture of the SpaceX Crew-4 astronauts representing NASAs Commercial Crew Program. Hines, Watkins, and Lindgren are NASA cristoforetti and astronauts is an ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut. As soon as in orbit, the crew and SpaceX objective control will monitor a series of automated maneuvers that will assist the Crew-4 astronauts to the forward end of the stations Harmony module.
NASAs SpaceX Crew-4 astronauts take part in a training session at SpaceX head office in Hawthorne, CA. From delegated right: NASA astronaut and SpaceX Crew-4 mission specialist Jessica Watkins; NASA astronaut and SpaceX Crew-4 pilot Robert “Bob” Hines; NASA astronaut and SpaceX Crew-4 leader Kjell Lindgren; and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut and Crew-4 objective expert Samantha Cristoforetti of Italy. Credit: SpaceX
As soon as again are gearing up to release astronauts on an American rocket and spacecraft to the International Space Station as part of NASAs Commercial Crew Program, NASA and SpaceX. NASAs SpaceX Crew-4 is the fourth crew rotation mission that will carry an international crew of 4 astronauts on a science exploration to the microgravity laboratory.
NASA astronauts Kjell Lindgren, Bob Hines, and Jessica Watkins, along with ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, will introduce aboard a Crew Dragon spacecraft. The objective is arranged to take off no earlier than Wednesday, April 20, from Launch Complex 39A at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The crew will spend a number of months carrying out science and maintenance aboard the orbiting laboratory before the 4 astronauts return to Earth in the fall of 2022.
The insignia representing the SpaceX Crew-4 objective. Credit: NASA
The Crew-4 mission will fly a brand-new Crew Dragon spacecraft and will introduce on a Falcon 9 booster that has formerly sent four missions into space. It is tradition the first astronauts to fly a brand-new pill name their spacecraft; Crew-4 selected “Freedom” to celebrate a fundamental human right, and the industry and innovation that emanate from the unencumbered human spirit.
Lindgren and Hines were designated to the Crew-4 objective in February 2021 and began working and training on SpaceXs next-generation human spacecraft and for their stay aboard the space station. Cristoforetti was assigned to the mission in March 2021 and Watkins was added as the 4th crew member in November 2021.
The Crew
Lindgren is leader of the Crew Dragon spacecraft and the Crew-4 mission. He is accountable for all phases of flight, from launch to re-entry, and will act as an Expedition 67 flight engineer aboard the station. This will be Lindgrens second spaceflight considering that becoming an astronaut in 2009. In 2015, he invested 141 days aboard the station as an Expedition 44/45 flight engineer. Board accredited in emergency situation medicine, he previously operated at NASAs Johnson Space Center in Houston as a flight surgeon supporting space station training and operations and worked as a deputy crew cosmetic surgeon for space shuttle bus flight STS-130 and Expedition 24. Lindgren was born in Taipei, Taiwan, and spent most of his youth in England prior to finishing from the U.S. Air Force Academy.
Hines is the pilot of the Crew Dragon spacecraft and 2nd in command for the objective. Onboard the station, he will serve as an Expedition 67 flight engineer. This will be his first flight since his selection as an astronaut in 2017.
The official team picture of the SpaceX Crew-4 astronauts representing NASAs Commercial Crew Program. Hines, Watkins, and Lindgren are NASA cristoforetti and astronauts is an ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut.
Watkins is an objective expert for Crew-4 and will work closely with the leader and pilot to monitor the spacecraft throughout the dynamic launch and re-entry phases of flight. She also was chosen as a NASA astronaut in 2017, and this will be her very first trip to space.
Born in Milan, Italy, she was a fighter pilot in the Italian Air Force prior to being selected as an ESA astronaut in 2009. In 2019, she served as leader for NASAs 23rd Extreme Environment Mission Operations objective on a 10-day stay in Aquarius, the worlds only undersea research station.
Objective Overview
Taking off from Launch Pad 39A on a Falcon 9 rocket, Crew Dragon will accelerate its 4 passengers to roughly 17,500 miles per hour and put it on an obstruct course with the International Space Station.
The Falcon 9 first phase that will be utilized to release this mission flew previously on SpaceXs 22nd commercial resupply objective to the station in June 2021, NASAs SpaceX Crew-3 objective in November 2021, and SpaceXs Turksat 5B objective in December 2021. This will be the very first team launch on a booster making its fourth flight.
When in orbit, the team and SpaceX mission control will monitor a series of automated maneuvers that will guide the Crew-4 astronauts to the forward end of the stations Harmony module. After numerous maneuvers to gradually raise its orbit, Crew Dragon will be in position to rendezvous and dock with their brand-new house in orbit. The spacecraft is designed to dock autonomously, however the astronauts can take control and pilot manually, if essential.
After docking, the Crew-4 astronauts will be welcomed inside the station by the seven-member crew of Expedition 67. The astronauts of NASAs SpaceX Crew-3 mission will undock from the space station and splashdown off the coast of Florida a number of days after Crew-4s arrival.
The Crew-4 astronauts will perform interesting and brand-new clinical research study in areas such as materials science, health technologies, and plant science to prepare for human expedition beyond low-Earth orbit and benefit life on Earth. Experiments will include studies on the aging of immune systems, natural product concrete options, and cardiorespiratory results during and after long-duration direct exposure to microgravity. These are just a few of the more than 200 science experiments and innovation presentations that will take location throughout their mission.
Releasing along with the crew in the Dragon pill is an investigation that seeks to restore significant vision to people experiencing retinal degenerative diseases like retinitis pigmentosa and macular degeneration. The Protein-Based Artificial Retina Manufacturing experiment tests the production of synthetic retinas or retinal implants in microgravity, where it is anticipated their production could be optimized.
Traveling to area aboard the Crew Dragon are Smart-Tex t-shirts as part of the German Space Agency (DLR) investigation called Wireless Compose-2. These kinds of wearable technologies could be used to keep an eye on health throughout a long-duration area expedition mission and might lead to a more versatile application of this technology in health monitoring devices on Earth.
Throughout their stay aboard the orbiting lab, astronauts of Crew-4 will see cargo spacecraft including the SpaceX cargo Dragon in early summer and the Northrop Grumman Cygnus in late summertime. They also will be onboard for the arrival of NASAs Boeing Orbital Flight Test-2 objective, presently targeted for May. The Crew-4 astronauts are arranged to conduct a pair of spacewalks to continue preparing the station for new solar arrays that will increase the stations total readily available power supply.
At the conclusion of the objective, Crew Dragon will autonomously undock with the four astronauts aboard, depart the spaceport station and re-enter Earths atmosphere. After splashdown just off Floridas coast, a SpaceX recovery vessel will get the crew and bring them back to shore to board a plane for go back to NASAs Johnson Space Center in Houston.
The Crew-4 objective continues NASAs efforts to bring back and keep American leadership in human spaceflight. Routine, industrial team rotation missions allow NASA to continue the important research study and innovation examinations taking location on the station. Such research study benefits individuals in the world and lays the foundation for future exploration of the Moon and Mars starting with the firms Artemis objectives, which includes landing the first lady and individual of color on the lunar surface area.