THE NASA (United States Space Agency) announced this Friday (30) that the mission SpaceX Crew-9 will have two fewer crew members to accommodate the astronauts who are in International Space Station (ISS).
While the NASA astronaut Nick Hague and the Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov will fly as commander and mission specialist, respectively, aboard a SpaceX Dragon, NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Stephanie Wilson who were previously announced as part of the crew, will be eligible for reassignment on a future mission.
The change in planning was made so that NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams launched aboard the Starline spacecraft in June, could return home in February 2025 with Hague and Gorbunov.
“While we have changed crews before for a variety of reasons, reducing the crew size for this flight was another difficult decision to adjust to, given that the crew trained as a crew of four,” he said. Joe Ends NASA’s chief astronaut.
“I have the utmost confidence in our entire crew, who have been outstanding throughout their mission training. Zena and Stephanie will continue to support their fellow crew members prior to launch, and they exemplify what it means to be a professional astronaut.”
Astronauts “trapped” in space
After arriving at the International Space Station (ISS) on June 6, with an expected stay of one week, astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore have already been on the satellite for more than 60 days.
The pair were sent on the inaugural manned flight of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, with the aim of carrying out tests so that the spacecraft can become part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program, which foresees periodic manned flights to the ISS using the vehicle.
This content was originally published in NASA cuts 2 crew members from SpaceX Crew-9, which will rescue astronauts on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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