This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/05/science/spacex-launch-russia-crew5.html
The article has changed 9 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 4 | Version 5 |
|---|---|
| SpaceX Launches Its First Russian Astronaut: Watch Live | SpaceX Launches Its First Russian Astronaut: Watch Live |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| A SpaceX rocket carrying four astronauts to the International Space Station launched on Wednesday. | A SpaceX rocket carrying four astronauts to the International Space Station launched on Wednesday. |
| One of the passengers is a Russian astronaut, Anna Kikina. Her presence on the mission shows that cooperation is continuing between the United States and Russia on the International Space Station in the face of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. | One of the passengers is a Russian astronaut, Anna Kikina. Her presence on the mission shows that cooperation is continuing between the United States and Russia on the International Space Station in the face of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. |
| The rocket lifted off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at noon. It is to arrive at the space station just before 5 p.m. on Thursday. | The rocket lifted off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at noon. It is to arrive at the space station just before 5 p.m. on Thursday. |
| Only two of the four astronauts on this flight work for NASA: Nicole Mann, the mission commander, and Josh Cassada, the pilot. The other two are Koichi Wakata, of Japan, and Ms. Kikina. | Only two of the four astronauts on this flight work for NASA: Nicole Mann, the mission commander, and Josh Cassada, the pilot. The other two are Koichi Wakata, of Japan, and Ms. Kikina. |
| Earlier in the International Space Station program, Russian astronauts regularly flew on the space shuttles, and NASA astronauts flew on Russian Soyuz rockets. After the retirement of the space shuttles in 2011, the Soyuz was the only transportation available for taking astronauts to and from the space station. | Earlier in the International Space Station program, Russian astronauts regularly flew on the space shuttles, and NASA astronauts flew on Russian Soyuz rockets. After the retirement of the space shuttles in 2011, the Soyuz was the only transportation available for taking astronauts to and from the space station. |
| When SpaceX’s Crew Dragon became operational in 2020, NASA no longer needed to fly its astronauts on the Soyuz but still wanted to be able to use it. And the space agency wanted Russian astronauts to get rides in the Crew Dragon (as well as in a second American capsule, Boeing’s Starliner, which may become operational next year). | When SpaceX’s Crew Dragon became operational in 2020, NASA no longer needed to fly its astronauts on the Soyuz but still wanted to be able to use it. And the space agency wanted Russian astronauts to get rides in the Crew Dragon (as well as in a second American capsule, Boeing’s Starliner, which may become operational next year). |
| That is to help ensure smooth operations of the space station, which is divided into two segments: one led by Russia and one by NASA and its partners. | That is to help ensure smooth operations of the space station, which is divided into two segments: one led by Russia and one by NASA and its partners. |
| “Flying integrated crews ensures there are appropriately trained crew members on board the station for essential maintenance and spacewalks,” NASA said in a statement in July when Ms. Kikina was announced as a member of the Crew-5 mission. | “Flying integrated crews ensures there are appropriately trained crew members on board the station for essential maintenance and spacewalks,” NASA said in a statement in July when Ms. Kikina was announced as a member of the Crew-5 mission. |
| The worry is that some kind of emergency — a serious health issue with a crew member, for example — could lead to an early return to Earth. All of the crew members on the spacecraft would have to return to Earth too. (Otherwise, there would not be enough seats on the remaining spacecraft.) If all the Russians had arrived on the Russian Soyuz, then that would leave the Russian segment of the space station untended. | The worry is that some kind of emergency — a serious health issue with a crew member, for example — could lead to an early return to Earth. All of the crew members on the spacecraft would have to return to Earth too. (Otherwise, there would not be enough seats on the remaining spacecraft.) If all the Russians had arrived on the Russian Soyuz, then that would leave the Russian segment of the space station untended. |
| As part of the crew exchanges, a NASA astronaut, Frank Rubio, launched with two Russian astronauts on a Soyuz rocket to the space station last month. | As part of the crew exchanges, a NASA astronaut, Frank Rubio, launched with two Russian astronauts on a Soyuz rocket to the space station last month. |
| “This type of exchange will increase the robustness of our program,” said Sergei Krikalev, executive director for the human spaceflight programs at Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, during a news conference on Monday. “And we will continue this practice to make our program more reliable.” | “This type of exchange will increase the robustness of our program,” said Sergei Krikalev, executive director for the human spaceflight programs at Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, during a news conference on Monday. “And we will continue this practice to make our program more reliable.” |
| Ms. Kikina, 38, is the only woman currently in the Russian astronaut corps. She had been training for a Soyuz flight but was transferred to the SpaceX mission when the agreement between NASA and Russian space agency was completed. This is her first flight to space. | Ms. Kikina, 38, is the only woman currently in the Russian astronaut corps. She had been training for a Soyuz flight but was transferred to the SpaceX mission when the agreement between NASA and Russian space agency was completed. This is her first flight to space. |
| The last woman in the Russian astronaut corps to fly to the space station was Elena Serova in 2014. More recently a Russian actress, Yulia Peresild, flew to the space station in 2021 to film scenes for a movie. | The last woman in the Russian astronaut corps to fly to the space station was Elena Serova in 2014. More recently a Russian actress, Yulia Peresild, flew to the space station in 2021 to film scenes for a movie. |
| Ms. Mann and Mr. Cassada are also first-time fliers to orbit. Mr. Wakata is, by contrast, a space veteran, with four previous missions, including two stays at the International Space Station. | Ms. Mann and Mr. Cassada are also first-time fliers to orbit. Mr. Wakata is, by contrast, a space veteran, with four previous missions, including two stays at the International Space Station. |
| Ms. Mann, as a member of the Wailacki of the Round Valley Indian Tribes in Northern California, will be the first Indigenous woman from NASA to go to orbit. | Ms. Mann, as a member of the Wailacki of the Round Valley Indian Tribes in Northern California, will be the first Indigenous woman from NASA to go to orbit. |
| No, not anytime soon. | No, not anytime soon. |
| Despite tensions between the United States and Russia after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, cooperation on the space station has continued. Dmitry Rogozin, the former head of Roscosmos, made bellicose statements about how Russia would leave the project, but Russia never officially gave notice that it would be leaving. | Despite tensions between the United States and Russia after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, cooperation on the space station has continued. Dmitry Rogozin, the former head of Roscosmos, made bellicose statements about how Russia would leave the project, but Russia never officially gave notice that it would be leaving. |
| The current agreement runs through 2024. The United States would like to extend operations through 2030. Russia has said it will build its own space station, but it has also indicated that it would not leave the I.S.S. until that is ready. | The current agreement runs through 2024. The United States would like to extend operations through 2030. Russia has said it will build its own space station, but it has also indicated that it would not leave the I.S.S. until that is ready. |
| “We know that it’s not going to happen very quick,” Mr. Krikalev of Roscosmos said on Monday. “So probably we will keep flying until we will have any new infrastructure that allow us to do continuous human presence on low-Earth orbit.” | “We know that it’s not going to happen very quick,” Mr. Krikalev of Roscosmos said on Monday. “So probably we will keep flying until we will have any new infrastructure that allow us to do continuous human presence on low-Earth orbit.” |
| He added, “So, up to now, we keep flying together.” | He added, “So, up to now, we keep flying together.” |
| It’ll be a roughly a 29-hour trip to the space station — the duration is dictated by the orbital dynamics needed for the SpaceX capsule to catch up with the space station. The four Crew-5 members are to stay on the space station until March next year. | |
| For a while, 11 people will be on the space station until the Crew-4 astronauts, who arrived at the space station in April, return home later this month. | For a while, 11 people will be on the space station until the Crew-4 astronauts, who arrived at the space station in April, return home later this month. |
| Crew-6, the next SpaceX mission, is planned to launch in February. There will be another Russian astronaut on that flight, Andrey Fedyaev. There will also be an astronaut from the United Arab Emirates, a seat that was sold to that country by Axiom Space, a company that has been flying private astronauts to the space station. (Axiom received the SpaceX seat from NASA in exchange for a seat on an earlier Soyuz flight that Axiom had purchased but which NASA needed.) | Crew-6, the next SpaceX mission, is planned to launch in February. There will be another Russian astronaut on that flight, Andrey Fedyaev. There will also be an astronaut from the United Arab Emirates, a seat that was sold to that country by Axiom Space, a company that has been flying private astronauts to the space station. (Axiom received the SpaceX seat from NASA in exchange for a seat on an earlier Soyuz flight that Axiom had purchased but which NASA needed.) |
| On its second private flight to the space station, scheduled for August next year, Axiom is planning to take John Shoffner, an American racing driver and investor, and two astronauts from Saudi Arabia. Axiom has also signed agreements with Italy, Hungary and Turkey to carry their astronauts to orbit. | On its second private flight to the space station, scheduled for August next year, Axiom is planning to take John Shoffner, an American racing driver and investor, and two astronauts from Saudi Arabia. Axiom has also signed agreements with Italy, Hungary and Turkey to carry their astronauts to orbit. |
| The next Soyuz mission, scheduled to launch in the spring, will also have a NASA astronaut aboard, Loral O’Hara. | The next Soyuz mission, scheduled to launch in the spring, will also have a NASA astronaut aboard, Loral O’Hara. |
| Boeing, the other company that NASA hired to take astronauts to and from the space station, could finally get off the ground next year. A demonstration flight of its Starliner capsule carrying two NASA astronauts, Scott Tingle and Mike Fincke, is currently scheduled for February 2023. | Boeing, the other company that NASA hired to take astronauts to and from the space station, could finally get off the ground next year. A demonstration flight of its Starliner capsule carrying two NASA astronauts, Scott Tingle and Mike Fincke, is currently scheduled for February 2023. |