Newly arrived Crew-4 astronauts at the International Space Station are ready to begin a six-month stay in space after this week’s smooth SpaceX flight.
Astronaut and NASA astronaut Robert Haines said that the flight into space in a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft, his first mission and spacecraft freedom, the “eye-watering” experience was evident even after a career in flying fighter planes. the mission Launched into space early Wednesday (April 27) and docked less than 16 hours later.
“One of the things we used to say on fighters is they go down, the faster you go, the faster you get,” Haynes, a US Air Force fighter pilot, said during a welcome party Thursday (April 28).
“This is just the opposite,” he said of the launch. “The higher we get, the faster we go… and it was unbelievable. This [rocket] The ride, especially in the second stage, was really fun. It was awesome.”
Related: Stunning launch images of SpaceX’s Crew-4 astronauts mission
Crew 4 Commander and NASA astronaut Kjell Lindgren praised the performance of the new spacecraft as well. “The Freedom capsule was really a smooth flight, and the Gs were so amazing,” he said, referring to the G forces, or gravitational forces, experienced by astronauts during launch.
Besides enjoying the spacecraft, Crew-4 said they were enjoying Space views of the dragonwhich whets their appetites for several months of observation from the space station.
NASA junior astronaut Jessica WatkinsThe The first black woman For a long-duration mission, he praised the view as the crew arrived at the space station.
“We can see the space station rather far away, but it’s very bright with the arrays of solar energy shining towards us,” she said. “The Land Below is just absolutely gorgeous. We are so excited to be here and see more of those amazing views.”
The multinational crew of Expedition 67 now includes three Russians, six Americans, one German astronaut and one Italian astronaut with the arrival of the Crew-4 astronauts. This group of astronauts and cosmonauts will work closely together in the coming weeks to integrate newcomers into space operations.
Samantha Cristoforetti, Veteran European Space Agency An astronaut, she thanked her colleagues for their patience as Crew-4 adapts to life in space.
“They get a lot of work done with us, because we get the ‘legs of space,’ so thank you very much for such a great welcome.”
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