By R Anil Kumar
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NASA-SpaceX Crew Enters Space Station
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SpaceX Dragon Crew Spacecraft Docks with ISS to Reach Sunita Williams
Washington.
Crew-10 ISS Space Docking highlights:
NASA and SpaceX launched a crewed mission to the International Space Station to bring home astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore
NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov arrived at the International Space Station on Sunday, March 16, as the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft docked to the orbiting complex at 12:04 a.m. EDT, while the station was roughly 260 statute miles over the Atlantic Ocean.
Following Dragon’s link up to the forward-facing port of the station’s Harmony module, the crew members aboard Dragon and the space station will begin conducting standard leak checks and pressurization between the spacecraft and the station in preparation for hatch opening scheduled for approximately 1:45 am.on Sunday, March 16.
Crew-10 will join the Expedition 72 crew of NASA astronauts Nick Hague, Don Petitt, Sunita Williams, and Butch Wilmore, as well as Roscosmos cosmonauts Aleksandr Gorbunov, Alexey Ovchinin, and Ivan Vagner.
The number of crew aboard the space station will increase to 11 people before Crew-9 members Hague, Williams, Wilmore, and Gorbunov return to Earth following the crew handover period.
Crew-10 ISS Space Docking Highlights: Four crew members of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission have reached the space station. The Crew-10 mission carries NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov to ISS.
NASA and SpaceX launched a crewed mission to the International Space Station (ISS) to bring home NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who have been stranded in space since last June.
The Dragon spacecraft took off aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre in Florida at 7.03 pm ET on Friday, March 14, (4.33 am IST). The Dragon docked on to the ISS around 10 am.
NASA confirms Sunita Williams’ Earth return date, shares splashdown time
NASA said in a statement on Sunday, March 16, evening that the astronauts’ anticipated ocean splashdown will take place off the Florida coast on March 18 (GMT).
With curiosity building over the return of a pair of US astronauts stuck for more than nine months on the International Space Station (ISS), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) on Sunday, March 16, confirmed that the duo will return to Earth on Tuesday, March 18, evening (GMT).
Sunita Williams return date | Splashdown time
The duo has been on the ISS since June last year after the Boeing Starliner spacecraft they were testing on its maiden crewed journey was hit by propulsion issues and was deemed unfit to fly them back to Earth.
NASA said in a statement on Sunday, March 16, evening that it had moved forward the astronauts’ anticipated ocean splashdown off the Florida coast to approximately 5:57 pm Tuesday, March 18 Florida time, (3:27 am IST, March 19). It was initially slated for no sooner than Wednesday, March 19.
“The updated return target continues to allow the space station crew members time to complete handover duties while providing operational flexibility ahead of less favourable weather conditions expected for later in the week,” the space agency said.
NASA to show live coverage
NASA said in a statement that it will provide live coverage of the agency’s SpaceX Crew-9 return to Earth from the ISS, beginning with Dragon spacecraft hatch closure preparations at 10:45 pm EDT Monday, March 17 (around 8:30 am on March 18 in India).
NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov will also return on the Dragon capsule. The slated journey will mark the end of an ordeal for Wilmore and Williams that has seen them stuck for nine months after what was meant to have been a days-long roundtrip.
While the extended stay of Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams aboard the ISS was much longer than the typical six-month rotation for astronauts, it falls short of the US space record of 371 days set by NASA astronaut Frank Rubio in 2023, or the world record of 437 days held by Russian cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov aboard the Mir space station.
The unexpected length of their time away from their families had drawn massive attention, speculation and concerns. Due to the unforeseen extension, both the astronauts had to receive extra clothing and personal care supplies, as they hadn’t packed enough for such an extended mission.
Here’s how much NASA could pay Sunita Williams for 9-Month Space Stay
Sunita Williams is classified under the GS-15 pay grade, which is the highest level for federal employees under the General Schedule (GS) system.
NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore are classified under the GS-15 pay grade, the highest level for federal employees under the General Schedule (GS) system. GS-15 government employees receive an annual base salary ranging between $125,133 – $162,672 (approximately Rs 1.08 crore – Rs 1.41 crore).
For their extended 9-month stay on the ISS, Ms Williams and Mr Wilmore will earn a prorated salary between $93,850 – $122,004 (approximately Rs 81 lakh – Rs 1.05 crore).
Including the $1,148 (around Rs 1 lakh) in incidental pay, their total earnings for the mission is expected to be $94,998 – $123,152 (approximately Rs 82 lakh – Rs 1.06 crore).
When Members of Crew-10 Entered the Space Station
A pair of astronauts stranded for more than nine months on the International Space Station were a step closer to returning home Sunday, March 16, after a replacement crew docked with the orbital outpost.
The astronauts were shown on live TV embracing and hugging their counterparts in zero gravity on the space station shortly after their SpaceX Crew Dragon arrived at 0545 GMT.
Challenges Astronauts May Face Upon Return to Earth
NASA astronauts Sunita Willams and Butch Wilmore, and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov are scheduled to return to Earth on Wednesday, March 19, onboard SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft.
For Ms Williams and Mr Wilmore, test pilots for Boeing’s new Starliner capsule, the eight-day mission stretched to more than nine months as a series of helium leaks and thruster failures deemed their spacecraft unsafe and had to return empty in September.
Astronauts who have travelled on space missions earlier have reported facing difficulty in walking, having bad eyesight, dizziness, and a condition called baby feet where space travellers lose the thick part of the skin on the soles that become soft like a baby’s.
Meet NASA Flight Director Allison Bolinger Who Controlled Expedition 72 Flight
Allison Bolinger, from Lancaster, Ohio, began her career at NASA as an intern in 2001, before getting her bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from Purdue University in 2004. Upon becoming a full-time NASA employee after graduation, she supported spacewalks in a variety of functions, including as a lead spacewalk flight controller for space shuttle Endeavor’s final mission, and several spacewalks since.
NASA’s Crew-10 Enters Space Station, Hugs Crew-9
The hatch of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft opened March 16 at 1:35 am ET (11:05 am IST) and the members of Crew-10 entered the space station with the rest of their excited Expedition 72 crew.
What Will Crew-10 Do?
During their mission, the Crew-10 crew is scheduled to conduct material flammability tests to contribute to future spacecraft and facility designs. They will engage with students worldwide via ham radio and use its existing hardware to test a backup lunar navigation solution. According to NASA, astronauts themselves will also serve as test subjects, with one crew member conducting an integrated study to better understand physiological and psychological changes to the human body to provide valuable insights for future deep space missions.
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Takuya Onishi is “excited” to be officially part of the Expedition 72.
Onishi has spent roughly 113 days in space as a flight engineer aboard the ISS as part of Expeditions 48 and 49. In 2016, he manoeuvred the Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS) and became the first Japanese astronaut to capture the Cygnus spacecraft in space.
Sunita Williams Thanks Houston, Elated to See Her Friends at Space Station
“Houston, thanks for tuning in early morning. Great to see our friends arrive,” said Sunita Williams.
What NASA Astronaut Anne C McClain Said on Reaching Space Station
“I cannot tell you the immense joy of our crew when we looked out of the window and saw the space station for the first time…,”said Anne C McClain, NASA Astronaut and US Army Colonel.
“You can hardly put it into words. The ride up the Falcon 9, orbiting the earth for the last couple of days, it has been absolutely incredible. It is something none of us could do by ourselves. You cannot be great without the greatness of others. And the greatness of the ground control team has really shined through in getting us up here safely,” she added.
McClain was selected in June 2013 as one of eight members of the 21st NASA astronaut class. On her first spaceflight, McClain spent 204 days as a flight engineer during Expeditions 58 and 59 and completed two spacewalks, totalling 13 hours and 8 minutes.
McClain is a commander of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission, to conduct research, technology demonstrations, and maintenance activities aboard the microgravity laboratory.
Crew-10 Meets Crew-9 After A 28-Hour Long Journey
The SpaceX Crew-10 members joined the station’s Expedition 72 crew after the hatch opened at 12:35am ET on Sunday, March 16, beginning a long-duration space research mission.
Hugs And Smiles as Crew-10 Team Enters the Space Station
Meet the 4 Astronauts on SpaceX Crew-10 who will Replace Sunita Williams
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission lifted off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Friday, March 14, at 7:03 pm EDT (4:33 am IST on March 15). Aboard the Dragon spacecraft are four astronauts – NASA’s Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japan’s Takuya Onishi and Russia’s Kirill Peskov – on their way to the International Space Station (ISS) for a long-duration research expedition.
Why Are NASA Astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore Stranded in Space?
NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore embarked on a 10-day mission aboard the Boeing Starliner on June 5, 2024, but the spacecraft experienced thruster malfunctions during its approach and docking manoeuvres.
This resulted in an extensive investigation by NASA and Boeing back on the ground, with the space agency finally declaring the Starliner too risky to carry astronauts back home. The Starliner instead returned empty, without experiencing further major issues.
The two astronauts are stranded in space for nearly 10 months now.
Stranded Astronauts Face Painful Return: Baby Feet, Bone Density Loss and More
Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, the two US astronauts currently stuck in space may not have it easy when they return to Earth next week. It is likely that Ms Williams and Mr Wilmore would have developed a condition known as “baby feet” wherein the soles of an astronaut’s feet become soft like a baby, after spending months in space — making it painful for them to walk.
While walking on Earth, our feet face a lot of resistance in the form of gravity and friction, which makes the skin on the soles thicker. It protects us from feeling discomfort and pain while protecting us from general wear and tear.
However, after spending months in space, the harder skin comes off and the feet are left very soft and tender. Until the feet build up hard skin again, which can take from a few weeks to a couple of months, walking can be uncomfortable and even distressing.
(Images Source: NASA)
