NASA astronauts Robert Behnken & Douglas Hurley aim to return home by August 2

On May 30, SpaceX had created history by sending astronauts to International Space Station in a commercially developed spacecraft. It was recently announced that Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley are aiming their return to Earth on August 2nd. The exact time and date of their return will be determined by weather conditions.

Tens of people had witnessed Behnken and Hurley take off to ISS in SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule on May 30th. It was the first time in nearly a decade that NASA sent humans to the ISS from US soil. It also became the first crewed mission for SpaceX in its 18-year long history.

For how long have Behnken and Hurley been in ISS?

Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley have spent the past two months aboard the ISS. They were given company by NASA astronaut Christopher Cassidy and Russian cosmonauts, namely, Anatoli Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner. They had previously flown to the orbiting laboratory aboard a Russian-built Soyuz spacecraft.

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What did Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley do at ISS?

The NASA astronauts have spent their time conducting spacewalks in order to upgrade the station’s hardware. They also handled scientific experiments designed for the microgravity environment onboard the station. Robert and Douglas have been actively sharing images snapped from a viewing module aboard the space station. It has orbited the Earth and hosted astronaut crews from all over the world for two decades. Check out the post below.

Reportedly, since 2011, NASA has not been able to send its astronauts from US soil since the Space Shuttle program ended in 2011. So NASA would send its astronauts to Russia and train on the country’s Soyuz spacecraft on seats. Reportedly, it cost NASA up to $90 million for each seat.

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SpaceX had been working on developing its own replacement for the Shuttle under a $2.6 billion fixed priced contract with NASA. Reportedly, SpaceX designed and owns its Crew Dragon capsules and the associated Falcon 9 rockets they fly aboard.

Reportedly, NASA will serve as SpaceX’s customer and shall purchase seats for astronauts as needed and allow the company to sign up its own passengers. It shall include tourists, scientists and even movie stars in future.

The voyage started by Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley began in May. However, it will be considered successful only once they return safely to Earth. The voyage home will be just as dangerous as the ride to orbit.

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Image Credits: Jim Bridenstine Twitter