For the first time in nearly a decade, two American astronauts recently were launched into orbit from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken were on a SpaceX vehicle, which successfully docked with the International Space Station after spending 19 hours orbiting the Earth. They joined three other astronauts already on the station and will remain for up to four months to work and research.
I remember watching rocket blastoffs on a black-and-white TV in the 1960s, culminating with Neil Armstrong walking on the moon in July 1969.
Other things to check out:
Letters to the Editor: Space travel for the elite - SFChronicle.com
Regarding “SpaceX opens era of galaxy marketing” (Business, June 9): So we read that space is a $400 billion market that could expand to a trillion. The goal is “to drive down costs and expand innovation, drawing in more people and more business.” Space travel now is “the billionaire boys’ club.”
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Regarding “ Ride-hail drivers are employees, PUC rules ” (Business, June 11): Thanks to the California Public Utilities Commission for enforcing AB5 on the state’s biggest scofflaws, Uber and Lyft. We’ve seen enough of the damage their disruptive experiment in exploiting the weaknesses in our political system has caused. If their business model can’t survive enforcement of basic labor standards, then it has no place in a modern, democratic state.
How to Watch SpaceX’s Starlink Launch and Why It Is So Important | Observer
On May 30, SpaceX teamed with NASA and successfully launched its first crewed mission , which was also a landmark occasion. It was the first time a non-government entity put two humans into space, marking a milestone for commercial space travel, a long-teased industry that has taken decades to mature.
Given the cost and speed of development, it is likely that commercial space companies will be mandatory for future NASA missions of that size. SpaceX is one of three companies working with NASA on the technology required to put humans on the moon again by 2024.
Social distancing, meet space exploration.
In a moment of crisis and uncertainty, space exploration—perhaps the most expensive and aspirational of human endeavors—might not feel essential. But Lindy Elkins-Tanton, principal investigator of the NASA Psyche mission and managing director and co-chair of the ASU Interplanetary Initiative , thinks it's more important than ever.
Space exploration can teach us how to survive social distancing, as Kate Greene wrote about for Future Tense in March. "Quarantine is something astronauts know a lot about," said Stofan. She noted that quarantining before a mission has been standard practice since the beginning of space travel. Since astronauts on the International Space Station have to withstand extended periods of isolation and loneliness, studies on astronaut mental health can guide us through social distancing.
In case you are keeping track:
Will the SpaceX launch fire up US-Russian space travel competition? | In Depth | DW | 30.05.2020
The US is resuming crewed space travel with American spacecraft after nearly a decade of relying on Russian aid to reach the ISS. The era of space cooperation between Moscow and Washington may be reaching its end.
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Over the past nine years, only Russia was able to transport astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS). However, this era of Russian dominance came to an end on Saturday when the American rocket Falcon 9 launched astronauts onboard the Crew Dragon space capsule into outer space . A launch that was scheduled to take place a few days earlier had to be aborted due to unfavorable weather conditions (photo above).
In other news, we’re back in rockets – Pasadena Star News
Maybe this was why seeing that white Falcon 9 rocket standing ready on the launch pad at Cape Canaveral felt so exciting. It would be the first time that American astronauts have been launched into space from the United States by a U.S. rocket since the last Shuttle mission in 2011, blasting off from historic launch pad 39A, the same facility that launched the first astronauts to the moon aboard Apollo 11 in 1969.
Looking back, other than World War II, has anything truly united people more than the space program?
How much does it cost to leave Earth? | Fox Business
Traveling to outer space isn’t as simple as booking a flight, although there are several businesses working with that goal in mind.
As the burgeoning space industry continues to grow, spaceflight generally remains a multimillion-dollar proposition. But how much does it cost, exactly? It depends on where you’re going, or what you’re bringing.
NASA has identified the cost of sending astronauts to the International Space Station aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket at $81 million per seat. Before the Space Shuttle program retired, NASA said it cost an average of $450 million each mission to launch the spacecraft.
Private space travel on the horizon | Deccan Herald
Elon Musk's SpaceX made history last weekend when its Falcon 9 rocket launched NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley into low-earth orbit on Saturday (early Sunday, Indian time), on their way to the International Space Station (ISS), in a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule that chased the ISS in orbit and docked with it 19 hours later.
The launch itself was spectacular and, like all SpaceX launches, it was made into a spectacle that people all over the world watched. Until SpaceX came along, one could utmost watch a rocket launching from its pad, an awesome sight as it is, but as it rose skywards, it would become a smaller and smaller dot and disappear completely within a few minutes. SpaceX came along and put up cameras on its rockets and crew module.
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