Authorities NASAs SpaceX Crew-9 portraits with Zena Cardman, Nick Hague, Stephanie Wilson and Aleksandr Gorbunov. Credit: NASANASAs Crew-9 mission, launching soon under the Commercial Crew Program, will take 4 astronauts, including a first-timer and veterans, to the ISS for crucial research and operations, advancing space expedition and international cooperation.As part of NASAs SpaceX Crew-9 mission, 4 team members are preparing to introduce to the International Space Station and conduct an extensive set of functional and research activities for the benefit of all.Crew Profile and Mission DetailsLaunching aboard the Dragon spacecraft, NASA astronauts Commander Zena Cardman, Pilot Nick Hague, and Mission Specialist Stephanie Wilson, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Mission Specialist Aleksandr Gorbunov, will join Expedition 71 and 72 crew members no earlier than August. They will arrive to the spaceport station for a short-duration handover with NASAs SpaceX Crew-8 missionZena Cardman: First-Time SpacefarerThis will be the first spaceflight for Cardman, who was selected as a NASA astronaut in 2017. The Williamsburg, Virginia, native holds a bachelors degree in Biology and a masters in Marine Sciences from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.At the time of choice, she was a doctoral candidate in geosciences. Cardmans research study concentrated on geobiology and geochemical biking in subsurface environments, from caverns to deep-sea sediments. Since finishing initial training, Cardman has supported real-time station operations and advancement for lunar surface area exploration.Nick Hague: Experienced AstronautWith a total of 203 days in area, this will be Hagues third launch and 2nd objective to the orbiting laboratory. During his very first launch in 2018, Hague and his crewmate, Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin, experienced a rocket booster failure resulting in an in-flight launch abort. The Soyuz MS-10 spacecraft landed safely.Five months later on, Hague released aboard Soyuz MS-12 and acted as a flight engineer aboard the space station during Expeditions 59 and 60. Hague and his crewmates participated in hundreds of experiments in biology, biotechnology, physical science, and Earth science. Hague conducted 3 spacewalks, to upgrade area station power systems and install a docking adapter for business spacecraft.As an active-duty colonel in the U.S. Space Force, Hague completed a developmental rotation at the Defense Department in Washington, where he worked as the USSF director of test and evaluation from 2020 to 2022. In August 2022, Hague resumed duties at NASA working on the Boeing Starliner Program till this flight assignment.Stephanie Wilson: Veteran of SpaceflightsA veteran of three spaceflights, STS-121, sts-131, and sts-120, Wilson has actually spent 42 days in area aboard three different area shuttle bus Discovery missions.Before her selection as a NASA astronaut in 1996, she made her bachelors degree in Engineering Science from Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, a masters degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Texas in Austin, and operated at Martin Marietta and NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.During her first mission, STS-121 in November 2004, she and her crewmates invested 13 days in orbit. Wilson functioned as the robotic arm operator for spacecraft inspection, for the installation of the “Leonardo” Multi-Purpose Logistics Module, and for spacewalk support.In November 2006, Wilson and her STS-120 crewmates aboard Discovery provided the Harmony module to the station and relocated a solar selection. In May 2009, Wilson and her STS-131 crewmates completed another mission to resupply the station, delivering a new ammonia tank for the station cooling system, new crew sleeping quarters, a window observation facility, and a freezer for experiments.During her nearly 30 years with NASA, Wilson served as the integration branch chief for NASAs Astronaut Office focusing on International Space Station systems and payload operations, and on a nine-month information, functioned as the acting chief of NASAs Program and Project Integration Office at the agencys Glenn Research Center in Cleveland.Aleksandr Gorbunov: Debut in SpaceThis will be Gorbunovs first trip to area and the station. Born in Zheleznogorsk, Kursk region, Russia, he studied engineering with qualifications in spacecraft and upper phases from the Moscow Aviation Institute.Gorbunov graduated from the military department with a specialty in operation and repair of airplane, helicopters, and airplane engines. Before being chosen as a cosmonaut in 2018, he worked as an engineer for Rocket Space Corporation Energia and supported cargo spacecraft launches from the Baikonur cosmodrome.Mission Significance and NASAs Commercial Crew ProgramThis is the ninth rotational objective to the spaceport station under NASAs Commercial Crew Program, which works with the American aerospace industry to fulfill the goal of safe, reliable, and affordable transport to and from the orbital outpost on American-made rockets and spacecraft launching from American soil.For more than 20 years, people have actually lived and worked continually aboard the International Space Station, advancing clinical knowledge and showing brand-new innovations, making research study breakthroughs not possible in the world. The station is an important testbed for NASA to understand and conquer the challenges of long-duration spaceflight and to expand business opportunities in low Earth orbit. As industrial business concentrate on providing human area transportation services and locations as part of a robust low Earth orbit economy, NASAs Artemis project is underway at the Moon where the firm is preparing for future human expedition of Mars.
In August 2022, Hague resumed responsibilities at NASA working on the Boeing Starliner Program until this flight assignment.Stephanie Wilson: Veteran of SpaceflightsA veteran of three spaceflights, STS-121, sts-131, and sts-120, Wilson has invested 42 days in area aboard 3 separate area shuttle bus Discovery missions.Before her choice as a NASA astronaut in 1996, she earned her bachelors degree in Engineering Science from Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, a masters degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Texas in Austin, and worked at Martin Marietta and NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.During her very first objective, STS-121 in November 2004, she and her crewmates invested 13 days in orbit. In May 2009, Wilson and her STS-131 crewmates finished another objective to resupply the station, providing a new ammonia tank for the station cooling system, new crew sleeping quarters, a window observation facility, and a freezer for experiments.During her nearly 30 years with NASA, Wilson served as the combination branch chief for NASAs Astronaut Office focusing on International Space Station systems and payload operations, and on a nine-month information, served as the acting chief of NASAs Program and Project Integration Office at the agencys Glenn Research Center in Cleveland.Aleksandr Gorbunov: Debut in SpaceThis will be Gorbunovs very first trip to area and the station. Before being chosen as a cosmonaut in 2018, he worked as an engineer for Rocket Space Corporation Energia and supported freight spacecraft launches from the Baikonur cosmodrome.Mission Significance and NASAs Commercial Crew ProgramThis is the ninth rotational objective to the area station under NASAs Commercial Crew Program, which works with the American aerospace industry to fulfill the goal of safe, trusted, and affordable transport to and from the orbital station on American-made rockets and spacecraft launching from American soil.For more than 2 years, people have actually lived and worked continuously aboard the International Space Station, advancing scientific knowledge and showing brand-new innovations, making research developments not possible on Earth.