Commercial Crew Program

Your Spaceflight Experience Begins Here

Before you can become an astronaut and fly to the International Space Station or explore dazzling deep space destinations, you have to apply – and at the right time. The good news is the right time is only about a month away – NASA will begin accepting astronaut applications Dec. 14. The requirements are available here now and the link to apply will be available when the application period opens on usajobs.gov.

There may not be a better time to update your resume and take a leap into the world of professional space explorer! After all, NASA’s American aerospace partners are building a new generation of spacecraft for astronauts to fly to the space station and the agency has designed a heavy-lift rocket and vehicle designed to safely take astronauts beyond low-Earth orbit. In the words of NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, a veteran space flier, your spaceflight experience begins here.

NASA hires astronauts from a diverse pool of applicants with a variety of backgrounds. Candidates from the last astronaut class included schoolteachers, doctors, scientists and engineers.

Crew Dragon Propulsion System Completes Development Testing

The propulsion system SpaceX would use to power its Crew Dragon out of danger has been test-fired 27 times as the company refines the design for the demands of operational missions carrying astronauts to the International Space Station for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. SpaceX evaluated the system utilizing various thrust cycles on a test stand at its McGregor, Texas, rocket development facility.

Named SuperDracos, the engines are arranged in four pairs – SpaceX calls them ‘jetpacks’ – integrated around the outside of the Crew Dragon spacecraft. Firing all at once, the eight engines produce 120,000 pounds of thrust – enough power to accelerate a Crew Dragon from zero to 100 mph in 1.2 seconds. In the unlikely event of an emergency, that power means the ability to lift the crew a safe distance off the launch pad or far away from a booster failing on the way to orbit. That capability was demonstrated earlier this year in a pad abort test that confirmed the SuperDraco design in a flight-like condition.

A normal launch of the Crew Dragon atop a Falcon 9 rocket would not offer the SuperDracos anything to do during the mission since their only responsibility is to fire in an emergency to rescue the crew onboard. Eventually, SpaceX plans to use the SuperDracos in the place of a parachute during landing.

They use hypergolic propellants common in spacecraft thruster systems because the propellants ignite as soon as they contact each other. The engines are noteworthy for a number of reasons, including that they are built using 3-D printing methods instead of machining them from larger pieces.

After the development cycle, the propulsion system and SuperDracos will continue evaluations at the company’s test stand to qualify them for use on operational missions.

SpaceX and Boeing are developing a new generation of American-made, human-rated transportation systems capable of taking astronauts to the space station in partnership with NASA. The Crew Dragon and Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner will carry up to four NASA astronauts at a time, which ultimately adds another crew member to the space station and will allow twice as much time for astronauts to conduct research aboard the one-of-a-kind laboratory.

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Happy Anniversary Apollo 4!

apollo_4_at_pad-full_0 The Apollo spacecraft launched on the first all-up test flight of the Saturn V 48 years ago today to confirm launch loads and dynamic characteristics of the systems that would carry astronauts to the surface of the moon. The flight proved aspects of the Apollo heat shield and re-entry operations.

Two years from now, at the 50th anniversary of that unpiloted Apollo 4 mission, as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner and the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft will have undergone unpiloted flight tests to confirm their designs.

Join Our Crew!

Want to be an astronaut? Now is a good time to get your resume together, sort out your references and decide whether you have the right stuff to join NASA’s elite corps of space travelers. For our part, we can offer the world out your window and a new generation of spacecraft and launch vehicles unlike any flying today.

With the International Space Station’s ability to host unique science experiments and journeys to deep space and Mars on the horizon, now is an exciting time to don the blue suit and think about what your voyage into space would accomplish for everyone on Earth! By the way, you don’t have to be a pilot or bring military experience.

Applications for our next astronaut class open on Dec. 14! Visit https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/ for more information and the requirements.

Construction Tops Off Crew Access Tower at SLC-41

It took only 35 days to build the main column of a new fixture to the skyline along the Florida Space Coast. The 200-foot-tall Crew Access Tower at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida will meet the unique needs of astronauts and ground crews at Space Launch Complex 41, or SLC-41, where Boeing will launch its CST-100 Starliner spacecraft on Atlas V rockets operated by United Launch Alliance, also known as ULA. Read all the details here. Photos by NASA/Kim Shiflett (top) and Daniel Casper (right).

Astronauts to Mark Station’s 15-Year Anniversary

Humans have lived aboard the International Space Station continuously for 15 years, a record accomplishment that astronauts and cosmonauts will discuss from orbit this morning at 10:05 eastern on NASA TV. Although placed in orbit in 1998, the station did not welcome its first three residents until Nov. 2, 2000. That was the day NASA astronaut Bill Shepard and cosmonauts Yuri Gidzenko and Sergei Krikalev docked with the fledgling orbital outpost.

It would take dozens more astronauts and cosmonauts along with space shuttle missions and more than 180 spacewalks to turn the station into the functioning, cutting-edge laboratory it is today. Expedition 45 crew members will talk to the world’s news media about the space exploration milestone and what it means for research for those on the Earth and how it will help our goals for deep-space exploration in the future. The anniversary also comes as NASA stands at the cusp of launching a new generation of human-rated spacecraft to the station with partners Boeing and SpaceX.

Well-suited for years more research from its unique place in space, the International Space Station will host twice as much research time when the new spacecraft – called the CST-100 Starliner and Crew Dragon – begin making operational flights to orbit carrying four station crew members at a time.

Get Your Scare On With New Commercial Crew Coloring Sheet!

Celebrate Halloween with our new coloring sheet featuring kids dressed up as members of the NASA Commercial Crew team! Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner and the SpaceX Crew Dragon are highlighted on their launch pads in Florida getting ready to carry astronauts to the International Space Station passing overhead. To get started, print out the coloring sheet linked here and start filling it in. Happy Halloween!

Spacewalkers Begin Prep Tasks on Station

Astronauts Scott Kelly and Kjell Lindgren wrapped up a number of tasks on the International Space Station during a 7-hour and 16-minute spacewalk. Each making the first spacewalks of their careers, Kelly and Lindgren climbed around the outside of the station as it orbited above Earth. They carried out several tasks including placing a thermal cover over the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer and lubricating the station’s robotic arm. They also began to rig power and data system cables for the future installation of a docking port to the station that will be used for the arrival of the Boeing CST-100 Starliner and SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft. Boeing and SpaceX are building a new generation of human-rated vehicles that can carry four astronauts at a time to the orbiting laboratory for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. They will dock at the station and remain in place during their missions before bringing their crews back to Earth.

Station Spacewalk Includes Preps for Commercial Crew Vehicles

International Space Station astronauts Scott Kelly and Kjell Lindgren will don spacesuits and traverse the outside of the orbiting laboratory’s structure on Wednesday during a spacewalk that will take six-and-a-half hours and cover a number of important tasks. The two, each making the first spacewalks of their careers, will connect power system cables on the station so spacecraft from NASA partners Boeing and SpaceX can dock with the station during flights for the Commercial Crew Program.

The future missions are slated to carry up to four new crew members to the station in the near future in order to allow more research to be performed in orbit and to return American launch capabilities for its astronauts. The spacewalk will begin at 8:10 a.m. EDT. You can watch it live on NASA TV and streaming on www.nasa.gov/ntv beginning at 6:45 a.m. The astronauts will return to the station’s interior at about 2:40 p.m.

Hoverboards and Video Chats: Commercial Crew Astronauts on Back to the Future

Astronauts Bob Behnken and Suni Williams aren’t Marty and Doc, but they have strong views on what we should have from Back to the Future by now and what worked out well after all. Happy Back to the Future Day!