SpaceX’s historic Demo-2 launch, its first with NASA astronauts set to launch May 27, 2020 at 4:33 PM Eastern Time
NASA astronauts Douglas Hurley (L) and Robert Behnken pose while participating in a dress rehearsal for launch at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center ahead of NASA’s SpaceX Demo-2 mission to the International Space Station. Liftoff is Wednesday, May 27th at 4:33 PM Eastern Time from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Image credit: NASA/Reuters
Crew Dragon is the name of the SpaceX capsule that will carry NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley. It’s an evolved version of the company’s Cargo Dragon spacecraft, which has launched to-and-from the space station 20 times. Just as Cargo Dragon was the first privately developed spacecraft to bring supplies to the ISS, so Crew Dragon will be the first privately developed spacecraft to bring people.
The SpaceX Crew Dragon
Image credit: SpaceX
Image credit: Planetary Society
Two recently discovered asteroids will pass closely by Earth this afternoon.
The first asteroid, named 2020 FF1, is the smallest of the two. It is 49.21 feet (15 meters) in diameter. It will pass within 437,822 miles (231,170 km) of Earth. This is just 1.8x as far as our Moon is at its perigee (closest point in orbit). It is currently traveling at a velocity of 12.92 km/s which is equivalent to 28,901 mph (46,512 km/h).
The second asteroid, named 2020 DP4, is 183.7 feet (56 meters) in diameter which is nearly 2/3rds the length of a standard US football field. 2020 DP4 will pass within 837,532 miles (1,347,877 km) of Earth which is about 3.5x the distance of our Moon at its perigee from Earth. 2020 DP4 is traveling at 8.1 km/s which is equivalent to 18,119 mph (29,160 km/h).
While these asteroids will pass safely by Earth today, it's a bit nerve-recking to think they were just discovered earlier this year. What else is out there which we don't know about yet? This is a good reason why our space program must be expanded, so we are much more aware of potential dangers to our planet.
NEO Earth Close Approaches at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory:
https://cneos.jpl.nasa.gov/ca/
Image credit: NASA
Al Worden, the command module pilot for the Apollo 15 lunar landing, died Wednesday in Texas, NASA said. He was 88 years old.
Before joining NASA in 1966, Worden was worked as a test pilot, instructor and Colonel in the U.S. Air Force, working with famed aviator, Chuck Yeager, his NASA biography states.
"He flew to the Moon as command module pilot aboard Apollo 15. During this time he earned a world record as “most isolated human being" while his crew mates roamed the lunar surface, and he was 2,235 miles away from anyone else," Bridenstine said in a statement.
“Of his mission Worden said, ‘Now I know why I'm here. Not for a closer look at the Moon, but to look back at our home, the Earth," Bridenstine added.
Worden spent more than 295 hours in space that included three space walks on the flight back from the moon to retrieve film from cameras mounted on the spacecraft, his bio states. He grew up on a farm during the Great Depression, later attending military school at West Point. He went on to study engineering and earn two master's degrees from the University of Michigan.
Later in his career, Worden became a Senior Aerospace Scientist at NASA's Ames Research Center in California. He was also a popular guest on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, where he "surely fueled the desire of many children to pursue careers along the lines of his and become future exploration leaders," Bridenstine said.
"We remember this pioneer whose work expanded our horizons," he said.
