Dragon Suit, Seat Checks During Crew Departure Preps and Space Science

The SpaceX Dragon Freedom spacecraft carrying NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov approaches the International Space Station on Sept. 29, 2024.
The SpaceX Dragon Freedom spacecraft carrying NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov approaches the International Space Station on Sept. 29, 2024.

Expedition 72 Commander Suni Williams and Flight Engineer Butch Wilmore, both NASA astronauts, tried on their SpaceX Dragon pressure suits for the first time on Tuesday with assistance from new crewmate Nick Hague of NASA. The NASA trio checked out their pressurized suits, tested the suits’ audio configurations, and conducted seat fit checks inside the Dragon Freedom spacecraft while wearing the suits.

The three astronauts later joined Roscosmos Flight Engineer Aleksandr Gorbunov and practiced emergency drills inside the Dragon docked to the Harmony module’s forward port. Williams and Wilmore, who rode the Boeing Starliner spacecraft to the International Space Station in June, will return to Earth with Hague and Gorbunov aboard the Dragon spacecraft in February.

In the meantime, four other Expedition 72 crewmates are nearing the end of their space research mission that began on March 5. NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick will command the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft leading Pilot Mike Barratt and Mission Specialists Jeanette Epps and Alexander Grebenkin back to Earth on a date soon to be set by NASA and SpaceX mission managers. The homebound SpaceX Crew-8 quartet has been packing personal items and other station cargo inside Endeavour for the ride home. Grebenkin also tested the Roscosmos-designed lower body negative pressure suit that may help ease the adjustment to Earth’s gravity and offset space-caused symptoms.

NASA Flight Engineer Don Pettit and Roscosmos Flight Engineers Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner, who have been aboard the orbital outpost since Sept. 11, spent Tuesday working on a variety of physics and biology investigations. Pettit worked inside the Microgravity Science Glovebox testing advanced life support hardware that may be used on future space missions operating in different gravity environments. Ovchinin strapped on a sensor-packed cap that measured his responses while practicing futuristic planetary and robotic piloting techniques on a computer. Vagner assisted Grebenkin as he tried on the specialized suit that may counteract the effects of living in weightlessness.

At the end of the crew shift on Tuesday, all 11 space station crew residents gathered together and reviewed their roles and responsibilities in the unlikely event of an emergency. The orbital crew coordinated with mission controllers from around the world familiarizing themselves with using personal protective equipment and fire extinguishers. The astronauts and cosmonauts also reviewed the necessary actions and evacuation procedures in case of a fire, a chemical leak, or a pressure leak.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station and @ISS_Research on X, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

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Expedition 72 Welcomes New Crew, Crew-8 Departing Soon

NASA's SpaceX Crew-9 crew joins Expedition 72 aboard the International Space Station. Credit: NASA
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 crew joins Expedition 72 aboard the International Space Station. Credit: NASA

The seven astronauts and four cosmonauts representing the Expedition 72 crew slept in on Monday working half-a-day during the afternoon following Sunday’s arrival of the SpaceX Crew-9 mission.

The International Space Station’s two newest crew members, Nick Hague of NASA and Aleksandr Gorbunov of Roscosmos, launched to the orbital outpost aboard the SpaceX Dragon at 1:17 p.m. EDT on Saturday. The duo docked to the Harmony module’s forward port at 5:30 p.m. on Sunday beginning a five-month space research mission.

Hague, on his second spaceflight, began his day on Monday afternoon joining NASA Flight Engineer Jeanette Epps as she demonstrated how to operate the advanced resistive exercise device to maintain muscle and bone mass in weightlessness. Afterward, he joined NASA Flight Engineer Matthew Dominick and transferred standard emergency gear inside the newly arrived Dragon spacecraft.

Gorbunov kicked off his first full day on the orbital lab getting familiar with life on the space station and learning its systems and procedures. Next, he joined fellow cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin who began handing over his mission responsibilities to Gorbunov.

Flight Engineers Mike Barratt and Butch Wilmore with Commander Suni Williams, all three from NASA, helped unpack cargo and fresh scientific samples from Dragon. The trio removed and stowed a variety of crew supplies and station hardware then transferred portable science freezers containing the research samples and installed them inside station science freezers for preservation and later analysis.

Having been aboard the space station since Sept. 11, NASA Flight Engineer Don Pettit spent his shift on orbital plumbing duties, analyzing station water for microbes, and configuring specialized watches that monitor a crew member’s sleep/wake cycle. His Soyuz MS-26 crewmates, Flight Engineers Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner, spent the day servicing electronics systems and Earth observation hardware.

The next crew to depart the orbital outpost, SpaceX Crew-8, has been stepping up its cargo packing duties and mission handover responsibilities the last several days. NASA and SpaceX are evaluating departure opportunities before Dominick leads Barratt, Epps and Grebenkin back to Earth inside Dragon ending a six-and-a-half-month mission orbiting Earth.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station and @ISS_Research on X, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

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Expedition 72 Welcomes Crew-9 Duo Aboard Station

NASA's SpaceX Crew-9 crew joins Expedition 72 aboard the International Space Station. Credit: NASA
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 crew joins Expedition 72 aboard the International Space Station. Credit: NASA

NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov entered the International Space Station after opening the hatch between the space station and the pressurized mating adapter at 7:04 p.m. EDT before opening the hatch to Dragon.

Hague and Gorbunov were welcomed by the space station’s Expedition 72 crew, including NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, Jeanette Epps, Don Petitt, Butch Wilmore, and Suni Williams, as well as Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexander Grebenkin, Alexey Ovchinin, and Ivan Vagner.

NASA’s live coverage continues through crew welcome remarks aboard the station on NASA+, YouTube, and the agency’s website. Learn how to stream NASA content through a variety of platforms, including social media.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station and @ISS_Research on X, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

Get weekly updates from NASA Johnson Space Center at: https://roundupreads.jsc.nasa.gov/

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SpaceX Dragon with Crew-9 Aboard Docks to Station

Sept. 29, 2024: International Space Station Configuration. Six spaceships are parked at the space station including the SpaceX Dragons Endurance and Endeavour, the Northrop Grumman resupply ship, the Soyuz MS-26 crew ship, and the Progress 88 and 89 resupply ships.
Sept. 29, 2024: International Space Station Configuration. Six spaceships are parked at the space station including the SpaceX Dragons Endeavour and Freedom, the Northrop Grumman resupply ship, the Soyuz MS-26 crew ship, and the Progress 88 and 89 resupply ships.

NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov arrived at the International Space Station Sunday, as the SpaceX Dragon Freedom docked to the orbiting complex at 5:30 p.m. EDT while the station was 260 statute miles over Botswana.

Following Dragon’s link up to the Harmony module, the astronauts aboard the Dragon and the space station will begin conducting standard leak checks and pressurization between the spacecraft in preparation for hatch opening scheduled for approximately 7:15 p.m.

Hague and Gorbunov will join the space station’s Expedition 72 crew of NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, Jeanette Epps, Don Petitt, Butch Wilmore, and Suni Williams, as well as Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexander Grebenkin, Alexey Ovchinin, and Ivan Vagner. For a short time, the number of crew aboard the space station will increase to 11 people until Crew-8 members Dominick, Barratt, Epps, and Grebenkin return to Earth in early October.

NASA’s live coverage continues on NASA+, YouTube, and the agency’s website. Learn how to stream NASA content through a variety of platforms, including social media.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station and @ISS_Research on X, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

Get weekly updates from NASA Johnson Space Center at: https://roundupreads.jsc.nasa.gov/

Get the latest from NASA delivered every week. Subscribe here: www.nasa.gov/subscribe

SpaceX Crew-9 Approaching Station Live on NASA+

SpaceX Crew-9 members (from left) Mission Specialist Aleksandr Gorbunov from Roscosmos and Commander Nick Hague from NASA pose for an official crew portrait at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Credit: NASA/Josh Valcarel
SpaceX Crew-9 members (from left) Mission Specialist Aleksandr Gorbunov from Roscosmos and Commander Nick Hague from NASA pose for an official crew portrait at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Credit: NASA/Josh Valcarel

NASA+, YouTube, and the agency’s website are continuing to provide live coverage of the agency’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission carrying NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov to the International Space Station.

The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft is scheduled to dock about 5:30 p.m. EDT, Sunday, Sept. 29. Dragon is designed to dock autonomously, but the crew aboard the spacecraft and the space station will monitor the performance of the spacecraft as it approaches and docks to the forward port of the station’s Harmony module.

When the hatches open at about one hour and 45 minutes after docking, the Crew-9 astronauts will join the Expedition 72 crew of NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, Jeanette Epps, Don Petitt, Butch Wilmore, and Suni Williams, as well as Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexander Grebenkin, Alexey Ovchinin, and Ivan Vagner.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station and @ISS_Research on X, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

Get weekly updates from NASA Johnson Space Center at: https://roundupreads.jsc.nasa.gov/

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NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 News Conference at 3 p.m. EDT

SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft atop a Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024.
SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft atop a Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. Photo credit: NASA

The SpaceX spacecraft carrying Crew-9 members NASA astronaut Nick Hague, commander, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, mission specialist, to the International Space Station has safely reached orbit, and the nosecone has opened.  

A postlaunch news conference will be held at 3 p.m. EDT at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida with the following participants:  

  • NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy 
  • Ken Bowersox, associate administrator, NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate 
  • Dana Hutcherson, deputy program manager, Commercial Crew Program, NASA Kennedy 
  • Dina Contella, deputy manager, International Space Station Program, NASA Johnson 
  • Sarah Walker, director, Dragon Mission Management, SpaceX

NASA will air the postlaunch news conference on NASA+ and the agency’s website. Learn how to stream NASA content through a variety of platforms, including social media. 

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 Spacecraft Flying Solo

SpaceX Dragon spacecraft separates from second stage 12 minutes after launch from Space Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Photo: NASA
SpaceX Dragon spacecraft separates from second stage 12 minutes after launch from Space Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Photo: NASA

At 1:29 EDT, SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft separated from the Falcon 9 rocket second stage and now is flying on its own.  

NASA astronaut Nick Hague, commander, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, mission specialist, are on a 28.5-hour journey to the International Space Station. The spacecraft now is in orbit and will autonomously dock to the Harmony module’s forward port. Soon, the crew will open their visors and get out of their suits during the ride.  

Once Hague and Gorbunov reach the orbiting laboratory, they will be greeted by nine members of the Expedition 72 crew. There will be a brief overlap period before NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 members, NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Mike Barratt, and Jeanette Epps, as well as Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin return to Earth. The four-person crew has been at the orbiting laboratory since March 5, when they docked to the orbital outpost aboard the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft.  

Check back for updates on the mission blog, @commercial_crew on X, or commercial crew on Facebook. 

Falcon 9 First Stage Sticks Landing

Image shows first-stage booster from SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket comes in for a successful landing at Landing Zone 1 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, just minutes after NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 launch from Space Launch Complex-40.
A first-stage booster from SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket comes in for a successful landing at Landing Zone 1 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, just minutes after NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 launch from Space Launch Complex-40. Photo credit: NASA

The first stage of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket has completed its descent and landed at the company’s Landing Zone 1 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. 

Next, the Dragon spacecraft will separate from the rocket’s second stage to continue its journey to the International Space Station. 

Falcon 9 Max Q, Main Engine Cutoff, Stage Separation

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket has reached Max-Q, the moment of peak mechanical stress on the rocket. Following this, first stage main engine cutoff occurred, and the first and second stages have separated from each other.  

The rocket’s first stage booster is scheduled to land at SpaceX’s Landing Zone 1 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.  

Next, the Falcon 9’s second-stage engine will ignite to carry Crew-9 and the Dragon spacecraft closer to orbit.  

Liftoff! NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 Heads to Space Station

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Dragon spacecraft lifts off on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission to the International Space Station with NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov aboard Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, from Space Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company’s Dragon spacecraft lifts off on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission to the International Space Station with NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov aboard Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, from Space Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Photo credit: NASA

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission lifted off at 1:17 p.m. EDT from Space Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. This marks the first time a human spaceflight mission launched from the pad.  

NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov are already experiencing 2 g while SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket go through a rapid succession of events.   

It is expected to take 28.5 hours for the spacecraft to autonomously dock to the space station at 5:30 p.m. EDT Sunday, Sept. 29, while traveling 17,000 mph orbiting the Earth.  

Coming up next, the nine Merlin engines on Falcon 9’s first stage will burn through one million pounds of propellant during the next three minutes.  

NASA’s live coverage continues on NASA+ and the agency’s website. Also, check back for updates on the mission blog, @commercial_crew on X, or commercial crew on Facebook.