NASA’s Dragon riders capture the flag, nine years after it was left on the space station – Yahoo News

arriving at the International Space Station on SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule, NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken laid claim to a U.S. flag that symbolizes America’s capability to send people to orbit from U.S. soil.” data-reactid=”23″ type=”text”>A day after arriving at the World Station Location on SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule, NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken laid claim to a U.S. flag that symbolizes The usa’s functionality to send of us to orbit from U.S. soil.

The handkerchief-sized flag, sealed in a plastic envelope, has been saved aboard the dwelling living since 2011, when NASA’s final house shuttle crew left it in the attend of outdated to making their departure aboard Atlantis.

stored in an equipment bag, nearly forgotten — with instructions that it was to be taken back to Earth by the next crew launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.” data-reactid=”25″ type=”text”>It turn out to be once displayed above the Concord module’s hatch — and, for a time, saved in an instruments gain, virtually forgotten — with directions that it turn out to be once to be taken attend to Earth by the next crew launched from NASA’s Kennedy Station Center.

That second at final came on Sunday, when Hurley and Behnken floated thru the Concord hatch after their open 19 hours earlier.

Two totally different angles add to the significance of the second. The flag first flew into house on the very first flight of the dwelling shuttle program, attend in 1981. And among the many members of the crew who left it on the living in 2011 turn out to be once Hurley, who turn out to be once Atlantis’ pilot attend then and is now spacecraft commander for the SpaceX capsule.

Hurley held out the flag when he turn out to be once asked about it as we declare time all over a condo-to-flooring recordsdata briefing.

“We now bag got talked about this flag outdated to — many instances over the final nine years since we left it right here on STS-135 — and I possess the predominant phase is … accurate returning open functionality to the US to and from the World Station Location,” Hurley acknowledged. “That’s what the flag truly approach. And I possess a little bit bit extra: It’s to the hundreds of these that made it imaginable, from the of us at SpaceX to the of us at NASA, to the of us within the industrial crew program. We accurate are lucky ample to grab it house with us.”

CST-100 Starliner spacecraft as an alternate ride for astronauts bound for the space station. The commander of the shuttle mission that left the flag on the station, Chris Ferguson, is now a Boeing executive who’s slated to be a test pilot on Starliner’s first crewed flight.  That added to the good-natured rivalry.” data-reactid=”31″ type=”text”>The flag turn out to be once the purpose of interest of a friendly competition with Boeing, which has been rising its CST-100 Starliner spacecraft as every other gallop for astronauts trudge for the dwelling living. The commander of the shuttle mission that left the flag on the living, Chris Ferguson, is now a Boeing executive who’s slated to be a test pilot on Starliner’s first crewed flight.  That added to the categorical-natured rivalry.

went awry last December, that made SpaceX and its Crew Dragon the clear favorite. After the Crew Dragon lifted off atop SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket on Saturday, Ferguson tweeted that he was “proud to yield the title of ‘The last commander of an American launched spacecraft’” to Hurley.” data-reactid=”32″ type=”text”>For a time, the bustle to handle cease the flag regarded as if it can well well be neck-and-neck, but when Starliner’s uncrewed test flight went awry final December, that made SpaceX and its Crew Dragon the clear accepted. After the Crew Dragon lifted off atop SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket on Saturday, Ferguson tweeted that he turn out to be once “proud to yield the title of ‘The final commander of an American launched spacecraft’” to Hurley.

tweet from 2011 noting that SpaceX was “commencing flag capturing sequence.”” data-reactid=”33″ type=”text”>SpaceX CEO Elon Musk joined in the repartee, resurrecting a tweet from 2011 noting that SpaceX turn out to be once “commencing flag capturing sequence.”

Hurley joked that the dwelling living’s commander, NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy, hooked up a display to the flag announcing, “Enact now not overlook to grab with Crew Dragon.”

“Reckoning on how long we handle up right here, you may maybe well well wager we can snatch it with us when we go attend to Earth,” Hurley acknowledged.

That could well well very well be as little as six weeks, or so long as four months. NASA is restful assessing how long the mission must restful final, per the dwelling living’s wants for folk energy. Correct now, the crew includes the three People and two Russian cosmonauts, which is one person unnerved of the in vogue-or-garden complement of six.

delivered to the space station on a Japanese HTV robotic freighter a week ago. Among the payloads on the HTV are six replacement batteries that are due to be installed on the space station’s exterior during a series of spacewalks. Behnken, who conducted a total of six spacewalks during two shuttle flights, has been trained to assist Cassidy with the battery replacement job.” data-reactid=”38″ type=”text”>Cassidy acknowledged one of the significant most predominant orders of commerce can be to dump a vogue of supplies that had been dropped at the dwelling living on a Eastern HTV robotic freighter a week ago. Among the many payloads on the HTV are six change batteries which could well well be due to the be installed on the dwelling living’s exterior all over a series of spacewalks. Behnken, who performed a complete of six spacewalks all over two shuttle flights, has been educated to aid Cassidy with the battery change job.