SpaceX flight led by first Black woman astronaut sets record for fastest ever to reach International Space Station (ISS)

Jessica Watkins the first black woman who led an eight-hour lightning-fast space flight that resulted a record fastest arrival of four astronauts at the International Space Station.

News Source: https://www.theguardian.com/international

After launching on an eight-hour express that broke the US speed record and made history as the first Black woman to lead a crew into space, four astronauts arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) on Thursday. After a three-week delay to repair the fuel leak in their Dragon spacecraft, SpaceX launched Commander Jessica Watkins and her crew for NASA. The countdown was under threat all morning by thick clouds, but the skies cleared enough for a safe takeoff from Cape Canaveral at 11.10 a.m. (1510 GMT). It took only 7 hours and 50 minutes, them to reach the International Space Station (ISS). The last crew to launch from US soil took over 30 hours to reach the station.

The voyage to the International Space Station was the fastest yet for both Elon Musk's firm and any American organization, including NASA, despite the lengthy six-month stay. The quick passage was made possible by the space station's convenient location at the time of the astronauts launch. With this liftoff from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Watkins became the first Black woman to lead a crew orbit. A geologist who spent ten years working with NASA's Mars rover Curiosity, is returning to the space station after an extended stay in 2022.

The others are newbies to space: NASA's Luke Delaney, a retired Marine; Canada's Joshua Kutryk, a colonel in the Royal Canadian Air Force; and Russia's Sergey Teteryatnikov, a former submariner. Four astronauts who have been residing at the orbiting laboratory since February will be replaced by them.

“Thanks for an amazing ride,” Watkins radioed after liftoff. Watkins said on the NASA live stream expressing her feelings “We are so excited to be here. This is truly a special place. It’s amazing and kind of ironic to think that it’s such a short trip to get here because the journey to get here has been long.” The Canadian colonel Joshua Kutryk, whose wife is about to give birth, while he’s in space. He said “it feels really good” to represent his country in space.” Adding to this he said “looking forward to a good mission after some sleep. That’s what I’m going to do next.”

This was the 13th crew launched by SpaceX for NASA, excluding 2020’s test trip. Apollo 13, the terrifying 1970 moonshot that resulted in the crew' safe return, is honored by the Crew-13 symbol on their mission patch. Watkins and her group drove black Teslas with the license plate "Lucky 13" to the launch site. Additionally, they carried up Lucky, a tiny golden dragon that was crocheted and had a four-leaf clover around its neck.

On the eve of liftoff NASA manager Dana Weigel stated “A lot of life-changing things can happen over six months.”

FAQs:

Q: Why is this mission historic for Dr. Jessica Watkins?

A: Dr. Jessica Watkins has broken several records with this launch. She became the first Black female space mission commander. More of this she made history as the first NASA astronaut o ride into space aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule twice.

Q: What record did the spacecraft set during transit?

A: The Crew Dragon spacecraft, named Grace, completed the fastest journey to the ISS in history. It took just 7 hours and 50 minutes from liftoff at Cape Canaveral to dock at the space station, smashing previous U.S. transit records.

Q: Who is on the Crew-13 mission?

A: The international four-member team consists of, Dr. Jessica Watkins (Commander, NASA), Luke Delaney (Pilot, NASA), Joshua Kutryk (Mission Specialist, Canadian Space Agency), Sergey Teteryatnikov (Mission Specialist, Roscosmos)

Q: Why was the launch originally delayed of Crew13?

A: The mission suffered a three-week delay prior to its October 1 launch so teams could investigate and fix a minor fuel system leak in the Dragon capsule.

Q: What will the crew do on the ISS?

A: They have joined the crew of Expedition 75 to begin a six-month stay where they will undertake biological tests, Earth observations, and advanced scientific inquiries.