Say hello to the crew of #SpaceX #Crew8. 👋🇺🇸 Commander Matthew Dominick, #NASA🇺🇸 Pilot Michael Barratt, NASA🇺🇸 MS1 Jeanette Epps, NASA🇷🇺 MS2 Alexander Grebenkin, #RoscosmosLaunching from historic LC-39A NET Q1 2024.📸: NASA, Roscosmos
#Crew8 will mark the first spaceflight for Dominick and Mission Specialists Epps & Grebenkin.This will be the 3rd spaceflight for Pilot Barratt, having flown on Soyuz TMA-14 & STS-133 — the last flight of Space Shuttle Discovery way back in 2011.
My best guess as to why Matt Dominick is commander is because he's a test pilot, and such occupation qualifies him as commander. I don't think spaceflight experience plays a factor when choosing flight assignments.
Quote from: ZachS09 on 08/04/2023 05:55 pmMy best guess as to why Matt Dominick is commander is because he's a test pilot, and such occupation qualifies him as commander. I don't think spaceflight experience plays a factor when choosing flight assignments.That doesn't explain Kjell Lindgren and Bob Hines on Crew-4, but otherwise, I think you're right.
Ars Technica background on the Epps assignment:https://arstechnica.com/space/2023/08/jeanette-epps-will-finally-go-to-space-six-years-after-being-pulled-from-flight/
Quote from: John_Marshall on 08/04/2023 11:55 pmQuote from: ZachS09 on 08/04/2023 05:55 pmMy best guess as to why Matt Dominick is commander is because he's a test pilot, and such occupation qualifies him as commander. I don't think spaceflight experience plays a factor when choosing flight assignments.That doesn't explain Kjell Lindgren and Bob Hines on Crew-4, but otherwise, I think you're right.Lindgren trained as a pilot for the DM-2 and Crew-1 missions.
Quote from: alugobi on 08/05/2023 12:29 amArs Technica background on the Epps assignment:https://arstechnica.com/space/2023/08/jeanette-epps-will-finally-go-to-space-six-years-after-being-pulled-from-flight/Raised more questions than answers that article... Anybody knows why Epps was pulled from her previous mission?14 years from graduation to first flight, is that a record? it is more than Deke Slayton, I think.
Quote from: Oersted on 08/05/2023 10:48 pmQuote from: alugobi on 08/05/2023 12:29 amArs Technica background on the Epps assignment:https://arstechnica.com/space/2023/08/jeanette-epps-will-finally-go-to-space-six-years-after-being-pulled-from-flight/Raised more questions than answers that article... Anybody knows why Epps was pulled from her previous mission?14 years from graduation to first flight, is that a record? it is more than Deke Slayton, I think.Slayton was 16 years from being chosen (1959) to flying (1975) ... but only 13 years after being pulled from first assignment.
Crew-7’s Dragon arrived at Pad 39A in Florida ahead of its third mission to the @space_station. As teams prepare to launch Crew-7 and safely bring Crew-6 home, the Crew-8 astronauts completed their first week of training in California
NASA Updates Commercial Crew Planning ManifestOctober 12, 2023Crew-8NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission to the orbiting laboratory is targeted to launch no earlier than mid-February. The mission will carry NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, commander; Michael Barratt, pilot; and mission specialist Jeanette Epps, as well as Roscosmos cosmonaut mission specialist Alexander Grebenkin to the space station to conduct a wide range of operational and research activities. Routine maintenance and processing of the Crew-8 SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft is in work. This will be the first spaceflight for Dominick, Epps, and Grebenkin, and the third for Barratt. Crew-8 is expected to return to Earth in late August 2024, following a short handover with the agency’s Crew-9 mission.[...]
