After the success of the SpaceX crew 5 mission to the International Space Station on October 5, 2022, the world began to look forward to the SpaceX crew-6 mission to the station. NASA which has already accomplished its Artemis 1 mission recently announced its plan to send four astronauts under the SpaceX Crew 6 mission to the International Space Station on February 27.
The American space agency is looking forward to returning human presence to the moon. Hence, NASA officials are doing everything possible to record great success under its Artemis Space Program. One of NASA’s primary goals for the SpaceX Crew-6 mission is to prepare for crewed trips to the moon.
Hence the next crewed mission to the International Space Station is indeed a crucial one for the American Space Agency. Who Are the Four Person Astronauts that will participate in the SpaceX Crew-6 flight? How will the Astronauts commence their space trip to the International Space Station? Will NASA implement the knowledge of this spaceflight in its future crewed mission to the moon? Continue reading to find out.
How To Watch and Track the Mission Update
NASA previously planned the launch of the SpaceX-Crew 6 launch on Feb. 26. However, it was later rescheduled to 1:45 a.m. EST (0645 GMT) on Monday (Feb. 27). The good news is that NASA has successfully launched the SpaceX Crew 6 mission, and you can watch and track the mission update from this video.
What You Should Know About SpaceX Crew-6 Flight
On February 27, NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Warren “Woody” Hoburg, as well as UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev will commence their space trip to the International Space Station from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
These astronauts will be traveling to space to conduct science and technology demonstrations as well as maintain activities aboard the International Space Station. The SpaceX Crew-6 spaceflight is the sixth crew rotation mission of NASA partnering with SpaceX to reach the space station. It is also the seventh flight of the Dragon Capsule with humans aboard the space vehicle as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.
The selection of Crew 6 astronauts commenced in December 2021 when NASA Astronauts Bowen and Hoburg were selected to be part of the mission. These astronauts began to train on SpaceX human spacecraft immediately after their selection. Astronauts Fedyaev and Cosmonaut Alneyadi were later added as the third and fourth crew members for the SpaceX Crew-6 mission in July 2022.
When the selection of the team was completed, they commenced with training ahead of their six-month mission to the International Space Station. This implies that the astronauts will spend about six months aboard the space station before heading back to Earth.
What You Should Know About the Astronauts Participating in SpaceX Crew-6 Flight
Astronauts participating in the SpaceX Crew-6 flight include NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Warren “Woody” Hoburg, as well as UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev. But each of these astronauts has a unique story behind their success and achievements. Here’s what you should know about each of them individually.
NASA Astronaut Stephen Bowen
Astronaut Stephen Gerard “Steve” Bowen was born on February 13, 1964, in Cohasset, Massachusetts, U.S. Just like every other child, Bowen’s passion to attain greater height inspired him to “graduate from Cohasset High School, Cohasset, Massachusetts in 1982, received a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the United States Naval Academy in 1986 and received an M.S. in Ocean Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1993,” according to Wikipedia.
Bowen later joined the American Military as a United States Navy submariner. In 2000, he was selected as NASA’s astronaut candidate and later began the second submariner to travel into space. Currently, Bowen has participated in three space shuttles spaceflights to the International Space Station which include STS-126 in November 2008, STS-132 in May 2010, and STS-133 in March 2011.
On December 16, 2021, NASA selected Bowen as the Commander of the SpaceX Crew-6 mission to the International Space Station which is scheduled to launch on February 27. We all should look forward to Astronaut Bowen returning to the International Space Station to continue human operation in the microgravity orbiting laboratory.
NASA Astronaut Warren “Woody” Hoburg
Warren Hoburg is an American Engineer and NASA astronaut born on September 16, 1985, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His parents Jim and Peggy Hoburg have always wanted the best for their son. Hence, they supported Hoburg in pursuing his education and becoming successful in his career.
“He graduated from North Allegheny High School, and received a Bachelor of Science degree in aeronautics and astronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2008, according to Wikipedia. “He earned a Master of Science in 2011, followed by a Ph.D. in 2013, in electrical engineering and computer science at the University of California, Berkeley.”
SpaceX Crew-6 mission will be Hoburg’s first spaceflight since he was selected as NASA’s astronaut candidate in 2017. At the time he was selected, Hoburg was working as an assistant professor of aeronautics and astronautics at MIT. During this mission, he will serve as a pilot and be responsible for handling the spacecraft systems and performance. When they arrive at the space station, Hoburg will serve as an Expedition 69 flight engineer.
UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi (Arabic: سلطان النيادي)
Astronaut Sultan Alneyadi was born on 23 May 1981 in Um Ghafa, which is a remote area outside Al Ain. He grew up in his grandfather’s house and attended Um Ghafa Primary Boys School and Um Ghafa Secondary School from there. After completing high school, Al Neyadi joined the UAE Armed Forces to increase his experience in the military.
He later attended the University of Brighton in Britain where he obtained a BSc (Hons) in Electronics and Communications Engineering in 2004. Al Neyadi’s ambition to become an astronaut inspired him to apply for Emirati’s first astronauts candidates. In 2018, after a series of mental and physical tests conducted on 4,022 candidates in the UAE and Russia, Al Neyadi was one of the two people selected as the first Emirati astronauts.
UAE’s Prime Minister Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum celebrated the successful selection with this tweet on 3 September 2018. “We announced today our first astronauts to the International Space Station: Hazza Al Mansouri and Sultan Al Nayadi. Hazza and Sultan represent all young Arabs and represent the pinnacle of the UAE’s ambitions.”
After the selection, Al Neyadi participated in a series of UAE Astronaut Programmes at the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre. In July 2022, Al Neyadi was selected to participate in the SpaceX Crew-6 mission. He will become the first UAE Astronaut to reach space on a commercial spacecraft. When they arrive at the space station, Al Neyadi will serve as a flight engineer for Expedition 69.
Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev
Andrey Valerievich Fediaev was born on 26 February 1981 (age 41) in Serov, Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic. In 2004 The Russian Cosmonaut obtained his engineering degree in air transport and Air Traffic Control from the Balashov Military Aviation School. After his graduation, Fedyaev became part of the Russian Air Force in the 317th mixed aviation segment.
Before he retired from the Air Force in 2013, Fediaev was awarded the rank of major and he logged over 500 hours of flying in Russian Aircraft. Fedyaev’s successful career in the air force enabled him to be selected as a cosmonaut in 2012. After reporting to the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in 2012, Fedyaev commenced working towards importing his expertise and experience.
The progress he made enabled him to be identified as a test cosmonaut on June 16, 2014. Fedyaev was later selected on July 15, 2022, to participate in SpaceX Crew-6 which will be flying to the ISS on February 26. Cosmonaut Fedyaev will be conducting his first spaceflight into space. During the mission, he will work as a mission specialist monitoring the spacecraft during the dynamic launch and re-entry phases of spaceflight. Fedyaev will be working as a flight engineer aboard the space station.
How will the Astronauts commence their space trip to the International Space Station?
SpaceX Crew-6 Astronauts will commence their space trip to the International Space Station aboard a Dragon Endeavor Capsule stacked atop a Falcon 9 rocket. The space vehicle will lift off from Launch Pad 39A on February 27. After the Falcon 9 rocket has boosted the capsule to a certain milestone, the Dragon Endeavor will then accelerate the four astronauts to about 17,500 mph.
At this accelerating speed, the Dragon Capsule will be on an intercept course with the International Space Station. When the capsule reaches orbit, the crew and engineers at SpaceX mission control center in Hawthrone, California will regulate a series of automatic maneuvers that will direct the Dragon Endeavor to the space-facing docking port of the station’s Harmony module.
After participating in a series of maneuvers to slowly raise its orbit, Endeavor will finally reach the position to rendezvous and successfully dock with the space station. The capsule is designed to dock autonomously with the space station. However, the crew can manually control and pilot it if the need arises.
Once the spacecraft docks with the International Space Station, the Crew-6 astronauts will be welcomed inside their new home by the seven-member crew of Expedition 69. Several days after the arrival of the Crew 6 astronauts, NASA’s SpaceX Crew-5 will undock from the space station and commence with their return trip to Earth. The crew 5 mission will come to an end when the Capsule splashes down off the coast of Florida.
Will NASA implement the knowledge of this spaceflight in its future crewed mission to the moon?
Unlike past missions to the International Space Station, NASA is hoping to prepare humans for life beyond the low earth orbit from this mission. The Crew-6 will carry out new scientific research to get ready for human exploration beyond the ISS. Experiments that will be conducted during this space mission include studies of how certain materials burn in microgravity, tissue chip research on brain, cartilage, and heart functions, and proper investigation to gather microbial samples from the outside of the space station.
NASA has already planned over 200 science experiments and technology demonstrations that the astronauts participating in the Crew-6 mission will conduct during the mission.
“During their stay aboard the orbiting laboratory, Crew-6 will see the arrival of cargo spacecraft including the SpaceX Dragon and the Roscosmos Progress,” NASA wrote in an update. “Crew-6 also is expected to welcome the agency’s Boeing Crew Flight Test astronauts and the Axiom Mission-2 crew during their expedition.”
Conclusion
At the end of the mission, Dragon Endeavor will autonomously undock with the four crew members and commence with the return trip to Earth. NASA will surely use the knowledge of this mission to commence with its future plans of sending humans to the Moon under its Artemis Space Program. What do you think about the SpaceX Crew-6 mission?
