Published 20:14 IST, May 21st 2020
Meet Bob Behnken & Dough Hurley; the first NASA Astronauts SpaceX will launch to orbit
Meet Bob Behnken & Dough Hurley, who are set to create history as they will become the first NASA astronauts, SpaceX will launch to orbit.
- Science News
- 3 min read
Nasa Astronauts Bob Behnken and Dough Hurley are about to embark on the inaugural flight of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft. It is reportedly going to be the biggest event of the decade. However, it might not be as everyone had imagined it to be. Read on to know more about the two astronauts and their experience in training.
For years, the two astronauts had anticipated the moment, pictured thousands of people on the Florida beach who would have come to watch them ascend into the sky. Speaking to an American technology news website, Dough Hurley said that they would always get asked about when the event would take place and whether they would get invited. Friends and family members of the two astronauts would ask them these question before the pandemic, Hurley added.
Nasa has urged people to watch the launch from their homes
The pandemic would certainly change the picture of how things would look like before the launch of the space shuttle. NASA has urged people to watch the launch from their homes. As disappointed as the astronauts are about it, they too want the same for the safety of people. Hurley and Behnken have been longtime colleagues and friends. They are set to make history together. On May 27th, the duo will board the Crew Dragon.
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Hurley and Behnken will be the first passengers that SpaceX will ever launch into space.
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The two are also the first two people to launch to orbit from the US since the end of Space Shuttle program in the year 2011.
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It has also been reported by media portals that in the last decade, all of NASA’s astronauts have had to fly on Russian rockets out of Kazakhstan. However, due to partnership with NASA, SpaceX is ready to launch astronauts from their agency from the lands of Florida. This will be done on the CREW DRAGON.
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Reportedly, Behnken and Hurley have touched down on the coast of Cape Canaveral in Florida today.
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It has been reported that the mission was assigned to the duo in 2018 by NASA.
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Reportedly, the two have flown on the Space Shuttle twice before this. Moreover, the two have also spent around 1,400 hours in space.
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In an interview with a leading media portal, Behnken said that training for a vehicle is similar to training for an aeroplane or a car. He was quick to add that obviously, driving a car is much easy than a spaceship. He further added that it is similar in the sense that one has to learn the systems, the machine and all of that.
Updated 20:14 IST, May 21st 2020
