![]() ![]() Since the late 1960s, pads A and B at Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39 have supported America’s major space programs, with Pad A used most frequently for launches under the Space Shuttle Program. In the next few minutes, the crew will take the elevator up the pad’s fixed service structure and walk down the air-conditioned crew access arm to the White Room, their final stop before climbing aboard Dragon. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 crew NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, commander Michael Barratt, pilot and mission specialist Jeanette Epps, as well as Roscosmos cosmonaut mission specialist Alexander Grebenkin, have arrived at Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39A, where SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft, named Endeavour, stands ready for launch. Research conducted on the space station provides benefits for people on Earth and paves the way for future long-duration trips to the Moon and beyond through NASA’s Artemis campaign.Ī SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company’s Dragon spacecraft on top is seen on the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center. A Soyuz spacecraft with three new crew members, including NASA astronaut Tracy Dyson, will also launch during their stay, and the Soyuz carrying NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara will return to Earth.Ĭommercial crew missions enable NASA to maximize use of the space station, where astronauts have lived and worked continuously for more than 23 years testing technologies, performing research, and developing the skills needed to operate future commercial destinations in low Earth orbit and explore farther from Earth. Crew-8 also is expected to welcome the agency’s Boeing Crew Flight Test astronauts. While aboard the orbiting laboratory, the members of Crew-8 will see the arrival of both the SpaceX Dragon and the Roscosmos Progress cargo spacecraft. These are just a few of the more than 200 scientific experiments and technology demonstrations taking place during their mission. Photo credit: NASAĭuring their time on the International Space Station, the members of Crew-8 will conduct new scientific research to prepare for human exploration beyond low Earth orbit and benefit humanity on Earth.Įxperiments include using stem cells to create organoid models to study degenerative diseases, studying the effects of microgravity and UV radiation on plants at a cellular level, and testing whether wearing pressure cuffs on the legs could prevent fluid shifts and reduce health problems in astronauts. If so, the cuffs could serve as a countermeasure against the problems associated with fluid shifts during spaceflight. Some of the scientific research Crew-8 will conduct on the International Space Station includes the Veno-constrictive Thigh Cuffs during Spaceflight (Thigh Cuff), which examines whether tight cuffs on the legs change the way fluid moves around inside the body. ![]() Learn more about commercial crew and space station activities by following the Crew-8 blog, the commercial crew blog, X, and Facebook. Read the Crew-8 Mission Overview for a summary of the mission. On NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website, there is continuous live coverage of important Crew-8 activities. We’ll keep you updated on the key milestones throughout this historic mission. ![]() Stay with us here on the blog as the countdown continues. Space Force’s 45th Weather Squadron now predict a 90% chance of favorable weather conditions at the launch pad for liftoff. EST, is now a little less than an hour away. The SpaceX closeout team has left the crew access arm, which will soon retract away from the Dragon spacecraft. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company’s Dragon spacecraft on top is seen on the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A ahead of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission launch at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. ![]()
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