How long do astronauts stay in Space Station and what's the length of Demo-2 mission?

The NASA SpaceX launch was set to take place on Wednesday, but it had to be delayed due to bad weather conditions. The SpaceX mission is now slated to take place on May 30 and will launch two NASA astronauts into space.

Also Read | NASA Predicts '50 Percent Chance' Of Favourable Weather For Postponed Crew Dragon Launch

How long do astronauts stay in Space Station?

The International Space Station missions, which are known as expeditions, usually have a duration of about six months. While on a mission, there are three to six crew members on board. There are a number of professional space travellers who hail from countries like America, Russia, Europe, Canada, and Japan. American-Spanish space traveller Mike Lopez-Alegria has flown the longest U.S. space station mission till date, at 215 days. Former cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov has spent 14 months aboard the Russian Mir space station. However, the space trips used to be just two weeks long during the space shuttle existence.

Also Read | Former NASA Engineer Builds Obstacle Course For Squirrels To Keep Bird Seeds Safe; Watch

What is the length of the Demo-2 mission? 

The NASA SpaceX launch will be attempted on Saturday, May 30, and the flight will be guided by two NASA astronauts to the International Space Station. SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon capsule are set to take off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 3:22 p.m. ET (12:52 AM IST). It will roughly be a 110-day mission. The spaceship will be guided by NASA space travellers Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley.

The space shuttle will dock with the International Space Station roughly 24 hours after arriving at the orbit. From here, Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley will join the team of existing ISS Expedition 63 crew. The group comprises of cosmonauts Ivan Vagner and Anatoly Ivanishin, and NASA space explorer Chris Cassidy.

The SpaceX Crew Dragon has been equipped to stay in the orbit for about 110 days. According to NASA, the exact length of the Demo-2 mission will be confirmed after the space travellers reach the International space station; however, this will be dependent on the status of the following commercial crew team dispatch.

Also Read | NASA Astronomers Observe Black Hole Hurling Hot Mass Into Space At Jet Speed

What do astronauts do in space?

Astronauts work on mission control and look at the different techniques and the agendas that the group in space will use, help check the space station and vehicle programming, create systems and procedures to be utilized during spacewalks or mechanical operations.

The SpaceX mission is the first opportunity for US space travellers to travel to the International Space Station from the country since the Space Shuttle program retired in 2011.

Also Read | NASA Satellite Images From Worldview Show Heatwave Impact In Northern India

Image credits: Space