Picture of the Day: Welcome to the ISS, Crew Dragon Endeavour
Credit to NASA for this Picture of the Day – what a stunning image of the SpaceX Crew Dragon Endeavour, on its Crew-2 mission.
This is the reusable spacecraft developed by SpaceX as the successor to Dragon 1. Click on the picture to expand its full glory.
Taken on 24 April 2021, the picture shows the C206 capsule approaching the International Space Station less than one day after launching from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It’s commanded by Shane Kimbrough and piloted by Megan McArthur.
“The SpaceX Crew-2 astronauts, Commander Shane Kimbrough and pilot Megan McArthur with astronauts Akihiko Hoshide of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and Thomas Pesquet of the European Space Agency, joined the Expedition 65 crew shortly after docking to the Harmony module’s forward-facing international docking adapter.”
Four astronauts from three different space agencies have safely docked at the the International Space Station
The Dragon capsule was the first SpaceX vehicle used to carry crews which had flown in a previous mission
Before docking, astronauts were warned of possible collision with unidentified piece of debris
NASA spokesperson said that the spacecraft did not have time to perform evasive maneuver
Agency later said that the object was 45 kilometers away and did not pose a threat to the astronauts
New arrivals will spend six months orbiting Earth, the current incumbents will return to the planet Wednesday
NASA shares incredible timelapse video from the SpaceX Crew-2 launch dailymail.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from dailymail.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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It is the first time two SpaceX crew Dragons have been parked in space at the same time.
Shannon Walker, the space station s commander, said: We are so excited to have you aboard.
Although this was SpaceX s third crew flight for NASA, it was the first to use a vehicle which has flown before, an essential part of Musk s push to the moon and Mars.
The Dragon capsule was also used for SpaceX s first crew launch last May, while the Falcon rocket soaring Friday hoisted crew two in November.
ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet of France, NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur, and JAXA astronaut Akihiko Hoshide of Japan of Crew 2 (from left, in black shirts) assemble with Crew 1 for their welcome ceremony