SpaceX F9 / Crew Dragon : Crew-2 : 22 April 2021 - DISCUSSION

[Alexphysics]

Well in that case is just a matter of replacing the outer shell... which they would have done anyways for refurbishment so I don't see a problem then

[ddspaceman]

Seems this is the mission in question so I put this here.

https://twitter.com/Thom_astro/status/1287776098760237056

[SMS]

https://twitter.com/Astro_Naoko/status/1287985851146764288

Aki Hoshide will take part in Dragon Crew-2 as ISS-65 CDR.

English version from: https://global.jaxa.jp/press/2020/07/20200728-1_e.html

Announcement of the Space Vehicle for JAXA Astronaut HOSHIDE Akihiko's International Space Station (ISS) Expedition

July 28, 2020 (JST)

National Research & Development Agency
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)

JAXA astronaut, HOSHIDE Akihiko, currently preparing and training for the ISS Expedition, has been decided to board the second operational Crew Dragon developed by Space-X. The launch is scheduled for spring 2021.

This is his third Space flight, and in addition, he has been assigned as the second Japanese astronaut to be the ISS commander, following Astronaut WAKATA Koichi.

The flight schedule will be announced when more details are available.

Comment from Astronaut HOSHIDE Akihiko

It has been decided that I will be boarding the SpaceX's second Crew Dragon. As I have been training for long duration flight aboard the International Space Station, it is an honor to be able to board this new vehicle, following JAXA astronaut NOGUCHI Soichi. I am looking forward to board on this commercial vehicle which has been developed by the private sector utilizing new technology based on novel, innovative concept in addition to the U.S. Space Shuttle and the Russian Soyuz, those of which have long history and steady performance. At the same time, feeling the arrival of a new epoch.
Though the training phase will begin shifting to the final phase under this COVID-19 situation, I would like to ask for everyone's renewed support.

[Rekt1971]

https://mobile.twitter.com/Thom_astro/status/1288040247239028737

Looks like I'll be the first European to ever ride a Dragon into space! Training has already started at SpaceX's futuristic facilities. Stay tuned for more updates... and wait, how do you install the "launch" app on these giant tablet-screens?

[AndrewRG10]

So ESA and JAXA astronaut. Wanna see if there will be a Russian cosmonaut or whether it'll be two American astronauts because Roscosmos cannot fly an untested flight-proven capsule.

[soltasto]

So ESA and JAXA astronaut. Wanna see if there will be a Russian cosmonaut or whether it'll be two American astronauts because Roscosmos cannot fly an untested flight-proven capsule.

I guess this pretty much confirms no russian crew member on Crew-2. Wonder when NASA will announce their astronauts for this mission, maybe during one of the Demo-2 conferences?

Totally expect Kjell N. Lindgren to be the second Dragon Endeavour Commander tho.

[ddspaceman]

NASA and its international partners have assigned crew members for Crew-2, which will be the second operational SpaceX Crew Dragon flight to the International Space Station as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.

NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur will serve as spacecraft commander and pilot, respectively, for the mission. JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Akihiko Hoshide and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Thomas Pesquet will join as mission specialists.

Crew-2 is targeted to launch in spring 2021, following the successful completion of both NASA’s SpaceX Demo-2 test flight mission, which is expected to return to Earth Aug. 2, and the launch of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1 mission, which is targeted for late September. The Crew-2 astronauts will remain aboard the space station for approximately six months as expedition crew members, along with three crewmates who will launch via a Russian Soyuz spacecraft. The increase of the full space station crew complement to seven members – over the previous six – will allow NASA to effectively double the amount of science that can be conducted in space.

This will be Kimbrough’s third trip to space and his second long-duration stay at the space station. Born in Killeen, Texas, and raised in Atlanta, Kimbrough was selected as an astronaut in 2004. He first launched aboard space shuttle Endeavour for a visit to the station on the STS-126 mission in 2008, then aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft for Expedition 49/50 in 2016. He has spent a total of 189 days in space, and performed six spacewalks. Kimbrough also is a retired U.S. Army colonel and earned a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, and a master’s degree in operations research from the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta.

McArthur will be making her second trip to space, but her first to the station. She was born in Honolulu but considers California to be her home state. After being selected as an astronaut in 2000, she launched on space shuttle Atlantis as a mission specialist on STS-125, the final Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission, in 2009. McArthur operated the shuttle’s robotic arm over the course of the 12 days and 21 hours she spent in space, capturing the telescope and moving crew members during the five spacewalks needed to repair and upgrade it. She holds a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a doctorate in oceanography from the University of California, San Diego.

This will be Hoshide’s third spaceflight. He was part of the STS-124 mission aboard space shuttle Discovery in 2008 and a crew member for Expeditions 32 and 33, launching aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft in 2012 for a 124-day visit to the station. Pesquet previously flew as part of Expeditions 50 and 51, launching aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft and spending 196 days in space.

NASA’s Commercial Crew Program is working with the American aerospace industry as companies develop and operate a new generation of spacecraft and launch systems capable of carrying crews to low-Earth orbit and the space station. Commercial transportation to and from the station will provide expanded utility, additional research time, and broader opportunities for discovery on the orbital outpost.

For almost 20 years, humans have lived and worked continuously aboard the International Space Station, advancing scientific knowledge and demonstrating new technologies, making research breakthroughs not possible on Earth. As a global endeavor, 240 people from 19 countries have visited the unique microgravity laboratory that has hosted more than 3,000 research and educational investigations from researchers in 108 countries.

The station is a critical testbed for NASA to understand and overcome the challenges of long-duration spaceflight. As commercial companies focus on providing human transportation services to and from low-Earth orbit, NASA is free to focus on building spacecraft and rockets for deep space missions to the Moon and Mars.

https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-announces-astronauts-to-fly-on-spacex-crew-2-mission-to-space-station

[Sesquipedalian]

Now this is interesting.  It was my understanding that the original agreement for a crew complement of 7 was:
3 US
3 Russian
1 International (rotating between Europe, Japan, and Canada)

And for a crew complement of 6, this was modified to 2 US slots but otherwise the same.

But on this mission, we have not only two international astronauts on the same flight, but two Japanese astronauts on consecutive flights.  Anyone know why the seat rotation is all mixed up?

[intelati]

Now this is interesting.  It was my understanding that the original agreement for a crew complement of 7 was:
3 US
3 Russian
1 International (rotating between Europe, Japan, and Canada)

And for a crew complement of 6, this was modified to 2 US slots but otherwise the same.

But on this mission, we have not only two international astronauts on the same flight, but two Japanese astronauts on consecutive flights.  Anyone know why the seat rotation is all mixed up?

The hypothesis is Russia's comment on flying cosmonauts on "unproven" vehicles... I am not exactly clear on their reservations they have about the vehicle.

Stafford said that Russian officials, who met with Stafford’s committee in Houston in December, were reticent to fly cosmonauts on what to them are unproven vehicles. “The Russian side noted that, prior to agreeing to the mixed crew plan, there needs to be successful USCV launches,” he said. “Roscosmos will consider participation after successful launches, but will not participate in the first launch of the vehicle.”

https://spacenews.com/nasa-selects-astronauts-for-crew-dragon-mission/

[DwightM]

I'm thinking that since Hoshide was bumped for Cassidy that this NASA seat was assigned to him.
Interesting that, if all goes well and Crew-2 flies aboard Endeavour, Megan will fly in the same seat as her husband on its previous flight.

[ddspaceman]

I'm thinking that since Hoshide was bumped for Cassidy that this NASA seat was assigned to him.
Interesting that, if all goes well and Crew-2 flies aboard Endeavour, Megan will fly in the same seat as her husband on its previous flight.

Also, she is the only active flown Astronaut left to have never been to the ISS.   Time to change that now that Daddy is available to hand off some of the parenting duties to again.

[Rondaz]

Drumroll please Drumthe mission name & patch for @esa's first astronaut to fly to the @Space_Station on a @SpaceX Crew Dragon Rocket@Thom_astro has been revealed! Well done Christelle de Larrard who first submitted the name "Alpha".

https://twitter.com/esaspaceflight/status/1288096875636113413

[Rondaz]

How did @Thom_astro choose "Alpha"? Find out more about his new mission name & patch, as he prepares for a spring 2021 launch to the @Space_Station alongside @NASA's Megan McArthur, @astro_kimbrough & @Aki_Hoshide of @JAXA_en #MissionAlpha

https://twitter.com/esaspaceflight/status/1288109685636096002

[intelati]

Time to change that now that Daddy is available to hand off some of the parenting duties to again.

Out of context, this sentence could be construed as something kind of horrific. But what a family. Yeesh.

Even with the absences, having not one, but two multi-talented parents. 

Edit: I had to read the sentence a couple times to get the intended meaning.

[SMS]

https://twitter.com/Astro_Megan/status/1288203342250901504

[ddspaceman]

Time to change that now that Daddy is available to hand off some of the parenting duties to again.

Out of context, this sentence could be construed as something kind of horrific. But what a family. Yeesh.

Even with the absences, having not one, but two multi-talented parents. 

Edit: I had to read the sentence a couple times to get the intended meaning.

Must be the Canadian accent      I just thought Megan has been doing the lion's share of the parenting of her and Bob's son while Bob has been traveling the country for years training and then a couple of months on ISS and her flying career was kind of on hold while all that was going on.   Now it's her turn to spread her wings.   I mean, it will be 12 years since she flew last.   She only flew to Hubble Telescope in 2009, never the ISS.

[intelati]

Time to change that now that Daddy is available to hand off some of the parenting duties to again.

Out of context, this sentence could be construed as something kind of horrific. But what a family. Yeesh.

Even with the absences, having not one, but two multi-talented parents. 

Edit: I had to read the sentence a couple times to get the intended meaning.

Must be the Canadian accent      I just thought Megan has been doing the lion's share of the parenting of her and Bob's son while Bob has been traveling the country for years training and then a couple of months on ISS and her flying career was kind of on hold while all that was going on.   Now it's her turn to spread her wings.   I mean, it will be 12 years since she flew last.   She only flew to Hubble Telescope in 2009, never the ISS.

Without doing the research to back myself up, but Bob and her would probably have gotten mostly equivalent training (minus mission specific training of course.)

She seems to have done a ton of behind the scenes work. Just not in space...

[ddspaceman]

Megan has been active the whole time and filled a number of important positions including a stint as the deputy chief to the associate director of FOD. ( Flight Operations Directorate)   She was only recently replaced there by Tingle.  But mainly stayed in the Houston area, whereas Bob and Doug were heavily involved in the design and testing of Crew Dragon which required Bob to be away in California and elsewhere a good deal of the past several years.   

[kdhilliard]

Without doing the research to back myself up, but Bob and her would probably have gotten mostly equivalent training (minus mission specific training of course.)

I don't follow you.

Bob Behnken received extensive Neutral Buoyancy Lab training and is an EVA rockstar, whereas Megan McArthur has no EVA experience and is unlikely to now be trained for it since all three other Crew-2 members are experienced spacewakers.  McArthur was lead robotics crew member for STS-125, the last Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission, and was EVA capcom for STS-117 (ISS construction -- S3/S4 Truss installation), so she would be a prime candidate for leading EVA support from inside Station.

McArthur will now receive Crew Dragon Pilot training, but beyond both being NASA astronauts from Group 18 (The Bugs, starting in August 2000), I don't see why you should think their training would have been any more "equivalent" than any other two T-38 backseater astronauts.

[Sesquipedalian]

The hypothesis is Russia's comment on flying cosmonauts on "unproven" vehicles... I am not exactly clear on their reservations they have about the vehicle.

Yeah but that's a separate issue.  My question is about the crew complement once everyone has arrived at the space station - and specifically the Europe/Japan/Canada crew slot.

I'm thinking that since Hoshide was bumped for Cassidy that this NASA seat was assigned to him.

That does make sense.  I thought it was Noguchi who was replaced, but you're right, it was Hoshide.

Still, the original order would have been Hoshide-Noguchi-Pesquet.  That's still two Japanese astronauts in a row, and they skipped Canada.  (The international astronaut before Hoshide was Luca Parmitano.)