We might not get to see astronauts fly in a SpaceX Crew Dragon until next year, but preparations for that highly anticipated test flight are underway, including a recent space fashion show.
OK, so there was no catwalk or runway strutting, but NASA did share a few photos of astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley going through their "suit-up procedures" recently at SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California.
We've seen this pair before getting familiar with the Crew Dragon, but this time they donned their new suits for a full launch day dry run, including SpaceX's ground operators.
The goal was to practice all the steps that will go down before a Falcon 9 rocket propels the pair from Kennedy Space Center in Florida to an eventual docking with the International Space Station.
Inside the Crew Dragon simulator, the team also ran through several emergency scenarios.
Crew Dragon is one of two new spacecraft, along with Boeing's Starliner, that NASA has selected for its Commercial Crew program, The aim is to return human spaceflight launches to American soil for the first time since the end of the space shuttle era.
The Falcon 9 rocket with Crew Dragon capsule was successfully launched by SpaceX today.
For all the people who’ve missed the action, Crew Dragon is used to represent SpaceX’s first spacecraft meant to transfer humans to and from the international space station.
The flight is the final test check for the spacecraft.
It would include launch, docking with the ISS, and the reentry into the atmosphere of Earth for recovery.
The Crew Dragon was launched successfully with a test dummy and a very high-tech-zero-g indicator.
Getting in details, the craft would attempt to dock with the international space station tomorrow morning.
A good night’s sleep is a key aspect of human health, and this is especially true for astronauts working in the ultra-demanding environment of space.
After a long day of floating around in microgravity doing experiments, astronauts on the International Space Station retire to their sleep station, which is little more than a closet, for some shut-eye.
Inside the sleep station is a sleeping bag and laptop strapped to the wall, as well as some personal effects, like photos of an astronaut’s family or memorabilia from a favorite sports team.
It’s a far cry from the spacious beds we have on Earth, but it’s still better than the shared sleeping compartment on the space shuttle, which Mike Massimino, a former NASA astronaut, describes as “a big slumber party.” The trick, Massimino says, was to remember to strap your sleeping bag to the wall so your body wouldn’t drift around during the night.
But even when they’re strapped in, astronauts’ arms tend to float out in front of them while they sleep, making them look like tired zombies.
Astronauts are allotted an eight-hour period for sleep each night and are often expected to keep a log of their sleep schedule so scientists can learn how spaceflight affects this basic human function.
