SpaceX NASA’s Crew-1 mission
Date: 17 November 2020 Tags: SpaceIssue
A crew of four astronauts is now en route to the International Space Station (ISS) onboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft called Resilience.
Background
Crew-1 is the first operational flight of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft on a Falcon 9 rocket to the ISS and is also the first of the three such flights scheduled over the course of 2020-21.
Details
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It is the first of six crewed missions that NASA and SpaceX will operate as part of the Commercial Crew Program, whose objective is to make access to space easier in terms of its cost.
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The programme is a way to reduce the cost of going to space for agencies such as NASA and also makes it possible for any individual to buy a ticket on a commercial rocket.
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In May, NASA’s SpaceX Demo-2 test flight lifted off for the ISS, becoming the first crewed flight to launch from American soil since the conclusion of the space shuttle era in 2011.
Significance and objectives of Mission
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The Crew-1 mission marks many firsts for NASA and SpaceX including it being the first flight of the NASA-certified commercial system, the first international crew of four to launch on an American commercial spacecraft.
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The Crew Dragon spacecraft is capable of staying in orbit for a period of 210 days, making it the longest human space mission launched from the US.
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The spacecraft will also deliver over 500 pounds of cargo, science hardware, and experiments to the ISS.
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Some of the research that the crew is carrying with themselves includes materials to investigate food physiology, which will study the effects of dietary improvements on immune function and the gut microbiome and how those improvements can help crews adapt to spaceflight.
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Another experiment aboard the Crew Dragon is a student-designed experiment titled, “Genes in Space-7” that aims to understand how spaceflight affects brain function.
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Other experiments include research that will enable scientists to understand the physical interactions on liquid, rocks, and microorganisms, another experiment on the role of microgravity on human health and how microgravity affects heart tissue.