Overcrowded virtual launch parties and events will help usher in a new era of spaceflight as people gather today to witness NASA ‘s SpaceX Demo-2 test flight. The event is a historic milestone in human spaceflight: the first crewed space mission from American soil since the space shuttle era ended on July 21, 2011.

 .

Targeted for liftoff at 4:33 PM ET, this mission will send NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley on SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft, lifting off on a Falcon 9 rocket, to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program . As the final flight test for SpaceX, this mission will validate the company’s crew transportation system, including the launch pad, rocket, spacecraft, and operational capabilities. This will also be the first time NASA astronauts will test the spacecraft systems in orbit; the first time in history astronauts have reached low Earth […]

Click here to view original web page at 3dprint.com