| May 21, 2020 RELEASE 20-055 NASA Invites Public to Be Its Guests to Celebrate Historic ‘Launch America’
NASA is inviting the public to help celebrate
a historic milestone in human spaceflight as it prepares for
#LaunchAmerica – the first flight into orbit of American astronauts on
American rockets from American soil since the end of the space shuttle
era in 2011.
Known as NASA’s SpaceX Demo-2 test flight, which is targeted for lift off at 4:33 p.m. EDT Wednesday, May 27, this mission will send NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program.
Members of the public can attend the launch virtually, receiving
mission updates and opportunities normally received by on-site guests.
“Through NASA’s virtual launch experience, we
make it possible for more people than ever to watch the beginning of
this new era in human spaceflight,” said Bettina Inclán, NASA’s
associate administrator for Communications. “We’re already seeing people
participate online with the #LaunchAmerica hashtag and helping build
the excitement for this historic moment.”
To participate, members of the public can register to find a calendar of mission information, mission highlights, and virtual tours. To find out more, visit:
Demo-2 will be SpaceX’s second spaceflight
test of its Crew Dragon craft and its first test with astronauts aboard.
This final test flight prior to NASA certification and will provide
data on the performance of the Falcon 9 rocket, the Crew Dragon and
ground systems, as well as in-orbit, docking, and landing operations.
The Falcon 9 rocket will launch from historic Launch Complex 39A
at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. But, the excitement will be
felt across the country and around the world, with virtual launch
parties and other events to help usher in this new era of spaceflight as
NASA and its commercial partners take the next bold step toward to send
the first woman and the next man to the Moon by 2024 as part of the
agency’s Artemis program.
But, before then, there are a lot of other ways people can get involved with this historic mission now. The virtual events taking place include:
Virtual NASA Social
For the first time ever, NASA is hosting a
global “NASA Social,” an opportunity for social media users to get a
behind the scenes view of the launch – virtually – and a unique way the
public can celebrate the return of human spaceflight to American soil.
The #LaunchAmerica NASA Social is taking the
form of a Facebook group that any social media user can request
permission to join by answering a few simple questions and agreeing to
adhere to the guidelines of the group. In addition to connecting
virtually with a community of people excited about the #LaunchAmerica
mission, participants will be able to virtually tour NASA facilities at
Kennedy and interact with NASA representatives in real time, as well as
virtually view a launch of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. For more
information and to register, visit:
NASA STEM Engagement
No matter where you are, you can celebrate
this historic milestone with other members of the Artemis Generation.
Students can share their excitement with webinars, virtual reality
experiences and activities specifically designed for grades K-4 and
grades 5-12. These and other exciting resources are available at:
NASA Television Coverage
In addition to social media coverage, NASA
Television will air a number of events leading up to, including, and
following the historic launch. Continuous coverage of the mission on all
NASA TV channels begins at 12:15 p.m. Wednesday, May 27 and continue
through Crew Dragon’s arrival at the International Space Station on
Thursday, May 28, including the subsequent hatch opening and welcoming
ceremony.
The following events currently are scheduled to air live (all times Eastern). Please check the NASA TV schedule for the latest updates:
Wednesday, May 20
4 p.m. – NASA’s SpaceX Demo-2 Mission astronaut arrival at Kennedy Space Center media question-and-answer session
Thursday, May 21
No earlier than 6 p.m. – Demo-2 post-Flight Readiness Review news conference
Friday, May 22
2:15 p.m. – Astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley virtual media question-and-answer session
Monday, May 25
No earlier than 6 p.m. – Demo-2 prelaunch news conference
Tuesday, May 26
10 a.m. – NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine media availability at Kennedy’s Countdown Clock
Wednesday, May 27
Noon – Live views of the SpaceX/Falcon 9 rocket on Launch Pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center
12:15 p.m. – Live countdown coverage of
NASA’s SpaceX Demo-2 mission to the International Space Station (launch
scheduled at 4:33 p.m.)
6 p.m. – Demo-2 postlaunch news conference
Thursday, May 28
11:39 a.m. – Docking of the SpaceX Crew
Dragon and NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley to the
International Space Station
1:55 p.m. – SpaceX Crew Dragon hatch opening to the International Space Station
2:25 p.m. – SpaceX Crew Dragon and International Space Station crew media event aboard the space station
Friday, May 29
11:05 a.m. – International Space Station
Expedition 63 crew news conference with space station Commander Chris
Cassidy of NASA and NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley
12:50 p.m. – International Space Station Expedition 63 in-flight event for SpaceX to mark the arrival of the Demo-2 crew
The Demo-2 mission will be the final major
step before NASA’s Commercial Crew Program certifies Crew Dragon for
operational, long-duration missions to the space station. This
certification and regular operation of Crew Dragon will enable NASA to
continue the important research and technology investigations taking
place onboard the station, which benefits people on Earth and lays the
groundwork for future exploration of the Moon and Mars starting with the
agency’s Artemis program.
Learn more about Artemis and NASA’s Moon to Mars exploration approach at:
-end-
| ||
Thursday, 21 May 2020
NASA HQ News: NASA Invites Public to Be Its Guests to Celebrate Historic ‘Launch America’
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment