NASA TV will begin live streaming the launch of the Crew Dragon Endurance spacecraft for the “Crew-6” mission at 9 PM on February 26 (which is 9 AM on February 27 Vietnam time).
Starting from February 23, NASA flight engineers Nicole Mann and Josh Cassada have been reviewing their procedures for the return to Earth aboard the Crew Dragon Endurance from SpaceX.
These two engineers joined Koichi Wakata, a flight engineer from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), and Anna Kikina from Roscosmos as they went through the steps to be performed during the flight back to Earth.
The four astronauts in SpaceX’s Crew-6 mission are ready to take over the work of the team soon returning to Earth.
These four crew members are preparing to return to Earth while carrying out their space physics missions and household maintenance.
They have been trained on computers to detach the Crew Dragon Endurance from the Harmony module, re-enter Earth’s atmosphere, and parachute down to a safe area in the waters off the coast of Florida.
Astronaut Mann will command the Crew Dragon Endurance, while Cassada will pilot the vehicle, with Wakata and Kikina seated alongside. These four astronauts were brought to the International Space Station (ISS) during SpaceX’s Crew-5 mission on October 5, 2022.
The replacement astronauts will arrive in the “Crew-6” mission after its launch on February 27 from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA.
NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Warren “Woody” Hoburg will serve as the commander and pilot of the Crew Dragon Endeavour. They will be accompanied by astronaut Sultan Alneyadi from the UAE (United Arab Emirates) and astronaut Andrey Fedyaev from Roscosmos.
These four astronauts will approach the Harmony module on February 28 and live and work there for six months to conduct important space research.
At this time, two crews, one from Roscosmos and one from SpaceX, are also preparing for a launch to the International Space Station (ISS).
The uncrewed Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft from Roscosmos is set to launch to the ISS at 7:24 PM on February 23 (which is 7:24 AM on February 24) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, on a two-day journey to rescue three stranded astronauts.
In addition to providing food for the crew, the Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft will bring NASA astronaut Frank Rubio and two Russian astronauts, Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin, back to Earth.
These astronauts have been continuing their laboratory maintenance and scientific missions during this busy time preparing the transport vehicle.
Rubio, with support from Wakata, has installed a high-temperature furnace inside the Kibo laboratory module. This specialized furnace allows for the safe observation of the thermal physical properties of superheated samples.
Meanwhile, astronaut Prokopyev from Roscosmos is conducting performance checks on a 3D printer. Petelin has performed two different experiments, including fluid physics research and space biological investigations. He has completed activities for an Earth observation study and a carbon dioxide monitoring session.
