NASA and SpaceX are gearing up for another attempt to send a crew of four astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS), with the upcoming mission known as Crew-7. Scheduled for launch on Saturday, here’s what you should know about this mission.
The Crew-7 mission will be led by commander Jasmin Moghbeli from the USA. Joining her are Andreas Mogensen from Denmark, Satoshi Furukawa from Japan, and Konstantin Borisov from Russia.
The liftoff is planned for Saturday (August 26) at 3:27 am (07:27 GMT) from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, with Sunday (August 27) designated as the backup launch opportunity.
Crew-7 marks SpaceX’s seventh routine mission to the ISS, continuing its collaboration with NASA. The initial mission in this partnership took place in 2020.
The crew members will join the seven colleagues already on the ISS. After a few days, the previous occupants, who arrived with the Crew-6 mission, will depart for Earth.
During their six-month stay on the orbital platform, the crew will conduct various scientific experiments. One such experiment involves collecting samples during a spacewalk to investigate whether the ISS releases microorganisms through its life support system vents. This will help scientists understand if these microorganisms can survive and reproduce in the space environment.
Another significant experiment aims to assess the physiological differences between sleep on Earth and in space, providing insights into the effects of microgravity on sleep patterns.
For Borisov, this mission marks his first journey into space. He expressed his enthusiasm, saying, “I’m looking forward to coping with all the tasks. This is a very interesting profession: you are preparing for something that you haven’t tried yet, and you really want to do it well.”
Moghbeli, also embarking on her maiden space mission, shared her excitement during a media call last month. She revealed, “This is something I’ve wanted to do for as long as I can remember.”
Reflecting on her upcoming experience, Moghbeli mentioned, “One of the things I’m most excited about is looking back at our beautiful planet.” She added that those who have already been to space describe the view as life-changing and that the sensation of floating around in space seems like a lot of fun.
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