What Was The Crew Dragon Launch?
Have you ever wondered when humans would launch to space again? On July 8, 2011, humans launched to space on NASA Space Shuttle Atlantis for the last time in history. Until recently, no humans have exited our lovely planet from the US since that historic day. On May 30, 2020, astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken launched to the ISS for the first time in international history on a commercially built spacecraft, the Falcon IX.
Launch Reschedule
The Demo-2 Launch, led by SpaceX was originally dated for May 27, 2020, but was rescheduled because of weather conditions. Those conditions could have been very dangerous, because due to the launch pressure, heat, and speed, lightning may have generated and struck the spacecraft. Many people were disappointed that day, and many others questioned why they couldn’t just delay the launch by an hour or two. The answer to that is they only had a “direct launch window,” which means that they only have clearance to launch during that one time of day. If something went wrong, they would have to reschedule.
Who are Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley?
Astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley will be remembered forever, as they were the first people to launch from Earth in the US since the Shuttle Era. Behnken was selected as an astronaut in August 2000, and has participated in a few missions! One of them was the STS – 123 Mission in 2008, which carried to Japanese Experiment Module and the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator to the ISS. He performed three spacewalks during the supply mission! He was a Mission Specialist on STS – 130, that launched in 2010. He performed even more spacewalks on that mission. Since his latest mission was the Demo – 2, and he is now living in the ISS, that would total to THREE TIMES ON THE ISS! Hurley was selected as an astronaut a month earlier than Behnken. He has participated in three missions so far, including the STS – 127, in which he went to the Space Station to help assemble a new module, STS – 135. He launched on the Atlantis Space Shuttle in 2011, which was the last manned mission to space before the Demo – 2 mission. That means he has been on two consecutive missions!
What Was The Purpose of Demo – 2
In September of 2014, NASA challenged Boeing and SpaceX, two very accomplished aerospace companies, to launch a manned mission to the ISS from a commercial spacecraft. “No one thought SpaceX would beat Boeing. Elon Musk proved them wrong.” The Washington Post says. Despite SpaceX’s clear win in this challenge, both companies suffered major setbacks. SpaceX had two Falcon IX rockets explode during testing, and a Dragon Capsule was destroyed during an abort system malfunction. Boeing, meanwhile, performed a test flight without any astronauts onboard its Starliner spacecraft. That went very wrong from the moment it reached orbit. The spacecraft’s computers were off by 11 hours, making the spacecraft think it was in a different part of the mission. This could have caused the spacecraft to be destroyed. Luckily, it landed safely in the New Mexico desert. Even ground control had trouble communicating with it. In other words, Boeing suffered a huge software issue. Believe it or not, SpaceX was given half the money Boeing was given, and they still won! This proves how capable a company or person can be, if determined.
How Historical Is This Mission?
On the day of the Crew Dragon launch, human spaceflight had changed for the better. Now, with NASA partnered with SpaceX, they can make many more manned missions. A new era of commercial spaceflight has begun, and all thanks to Elon Musk. Now, more people can enter the ISS. Now, space tourism can be cheaper! This mission has changed the world, for the better.
