SpaceX Mission Carrying Former NASA Astronaut, Three Paying Customers Returns From Space Station (cnn.com) 19
A SpaceX capsule carrying a former NASA astronaut and three paying customers returned from the International Space Station, marking the conclusion of a historic weeklong mission for the crew. From a report: The Crew Dragon spacecraft departed the space station Tuesday morning and the crew spent nearly 12 hours in orbit as the capsule maneuvered back toward Earth. After a fiery reentry, the Crew Dragon and passengers made a safe splashdown off the coast of Panama City, Florida, in the Gulf of Mexico at 11:04 p.m. ET. This mission, dubbed Axiom Mission 2, or AX-2, launched from Florida on May 21. AX-2 was put together by the Houston-based company Axiom Space and marked the second all-private mission to the orbiting outpost, meaning solely commercial companies, rather than a government agency, have been leading the mission.
This mission was also a milestone in the history of spaceflight as stem cell researcher Rayyanah Barnawi became the first woman from Saudi Arabia to travel to space. The AX-2 mission is one in a lineup of commercial missions designed to spur private sector participation in spaceflight -- particularly in low-Earth orbit, where the International Space Station orbits. Former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, 63, led the AX-2 crew. Whitson, now an Axiom Space employee, also became the first woman to command a private spaceflight. One of the three paying customers joining Whitson was John Shoffner, an American who made his fortune in the international telecom business and founded the hardware company Dura-Line Corp. Saudi Arabia also paid to fly two of its citizens: Barnawi and Ali AlQarni, a fighter pilot in the Royal Saudi Air Force.
During the mission, Barnawi led stem cell research suited for the microgravity environment aboard the space station. The orbiting laboratory has long been a key venue for various scientific experiments, as the lack of gravity can give researchers a better fundamental understanding of the topic at hand. Barnawi and AlQarni also engaged in outreach projects, including testing out a kite in microgravity and capturing video for viewers back home. The AX-2 crew spent about eight days working alongside astronauts representing NASA, Russia's Roscomos space agency and the United Arab Emirates Space Agency aboard the space station, though they operated on different schedules. The AX-2 crew worked through a lineup of more than 20 investigations and science projects -- including stem cell and other biomedical research. "Late tonight, at 11:02 pm local time in California (06:02 UTC Wednesday), SpaceX has a chance to reach 200 successful launches [of the Falcon 9 rocket] with a Starlink mission lifting off from Vandenberg Space Force Base," reports Ars Technica. "Such a performance is in uncharted territory for any orbital rocket, ever. [...] SpaceX is setting itself up to double the record for the number of consecutive successes by an orbital rocket."
You can view a livestream of the launch here.
This mission was also a milestone in the history of spaceflight as stem cell researcher Rayyanah Barnawi became the first woman from Saudi Arabia to travel to space. The AX-2 mission is one in a lineup of commercial missions designed to spur private sector participation in spaceflight -- particularly in low-Earth orbit, where the International Space Station orbits. Former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, 63, led the AX-2 crew. Whitson, now an Axiom Space employee, also became the first woman to command a private spaceflight. One of the three paying customers joining Whitson was John Shoffner, an American who made his fortune in the international telecom business and founded the hardware company Dura-Line Corp. Saudi Arabia also paid to fly two of its citizens: Barnawi and Ali AlQarni, a fighter pilot in the Royal Saudi Air Force.
During the mission, Barnawi led stem cell research suited for the microgravity environment aboard the space station. The orbiting laboratory has long been a key venue for various scientific experiments, as the lack of gravity can give researchers a better fundamental understanding of the topic at hand. Barnawi and AlQarni also engaged in outreach projects, including testing out a kite in microgravity and capturing video for viewers back home. The AX-2 crew spent about eight days working alongside astronauts representing NASA, Russia's Roscomos space agency and the United Arab Emirates Space Agency aboard the space station, though they operated on different schedules. The AX-2 crew worked through a lineup of more than 20 investigations and science projects -- including stem cell and other biomedical research. "Late tonight, at 11:02 pm local time in California (06:02 UTC Wednesday), SpaceX has a chance to reach 200 successful launches [of the Falcon 9 rocket] with a Starlink mission lifting off from Vandenberg Space Force Base," reports Ars Technica. "Such a performance is in uncharted territory for any orbital rocket, ever. [...] SpaceX is setting itself up to double the record for the number of consecutive successes by an orbital rocket."
You can view a livestream of the launch here.
Always good to make it home safe (Score:3)
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If one use can fund can fund the other use, its a win-win for everyone really.
I really hope one of the billionaire space guys puts thought into building a large scale space-station one of these days. Big-ass pinwheel or something like that. I think it makes a lot more sense to get a proper working space up somewhere in orbit to act as a launch pad and go-to for the big stuff. Especially if they figure out the astroid mining stuff and building shit in orbit.
How Much Is A Ticket? (Score:4, Interesting)
Just curious.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Depends. Do you need one way or return?
Re: How Much Is A Ticket? (Score:2)
And what if the passenger nextto you was carrying a baby, would you a) ask to be transferred, b) take the next flight out, c) offer to pay for an upgrade
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Just curious.
I would only buy tickets that are non-stop flights.
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Sounds like a bar joke (Score:1)
"A former NASA astronaut and three paying customers walk into a bar..."
(Land in a bar?)
or a misheard quote (Score:2)
" You men fight your wars. I'll be in outer space if you need me."
--Also spoke Zara "Thrustra", first woman from the Gulf in Space
Re: (Score:3)
They're also happy to host US bases, making it easier for the US to meddle in the region, and they're a good customer for US arms manufacturers.
What no dumb t-shirts? (Score:2)
"I Went to the ISS and all I got was this lousy t-shirt" t-shirts are available at the gift shop as you leave.
Saw it fly over (Score:2)
Looked a big red meteor with some kind of tail/trail. Look on twitter .. people saw it over OK, Missouri, Arkansas and a few other states before it splashed down off the coast of FL. Pretty cool.
Unreported (Score:2)
Reportedly, the individuals - able to access Twitter and other social media from the station - asked if they could just possibly stay up there, as orbital space feels somewhat less toxic than Earth right now.