Former NASA flight director on historic SpaceX mission
NASA, SpaceX conduct first splashdown of U.S. astronauts since 1975; former NASA flight director Gerry Griffin reacts.
NASA is keeping a close eye on Tropical Storm Eta ahead of Saturday’s launch of the first operational SpaceX Crew Dragon mission.
Eta made landfall along Florida’s West Coast early Thursday and has been bringing heavy rain inland.
The Crew-1 launch atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled for 7:49 p.m. EST Saturday from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Crew Dragon spacecraft is expected to dock to the International Space Station at 4:20 a.m. on Sunday.
“We are continuing to watch the weather,” a NASA spokesperson told Fox News via email.
NASA’S FIRST SPACEX OPERATIONAL CREW DRAGON MISSION EDGES CLOSER TO LAUNCH
On Thursday, the 45th Space Wing based at Patrick Air Force Base in Florida predicted a 70% chance of favorable weather conditions for the launch.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the firm's Crew Dragon spacecraft onboard on the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The rocket was photographed during a short static fire test ahead of the Crew-1 mission. (Photo Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky)
“The primary weather concerns for the launch area will be cumulus clouds and flight through precipitation associated with Tropical Storm Eta,” explained NASA in a blog post on Thursday.
The mission will bring NASA astronauts Mike Hopkins, Victor Glover and Shannon Walker and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Soichi Noguchi to the International Space Station aboard the Crew Dragon vehicle. It follows a successful Demo-2 mission earlier this year.
The astronauts will participate in a countdown dress rehearsal for the launch Thursday, according to NASA.
ASTRONAUTS HEAD TO LAUNCH SITE FOR SPACEX FLIGHT
The six-month mission is the first crew rotation flight on a U.S. commercial spacecraft.
Previously slated for Oct. 31, the launch was pushed back to Nov. 14 when the Falcon rocket had two engines replaced because of contamination from a red lacquer used in processing.
The astronauts have named their Dragon capsule Resilience given all the challenges of 2020: coronavirus and social isolation, protests against racial injustice, and a particularly difficult election and campaign season. They have been in quarantine for a week or two and taking safety precautions — masks and social distancing — long before that.
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Fox News’ Travis Fedschun, Janice Dean and the Associated Press contributed to this article. Follow James Rogers on Twitter @jamesjrogers
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