On July 8, 2011 the last space shuttle, Atlantis, launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center for the International Space Station (ISS). Not only was it the last shuttle liftoff but also the last time a spacecraft launched astronauts into orbit from American soil. Since that time NASA has been paying Russia to ferry astronauts to and from the ISS. Like everything else prices have gone up. In 2006 it costs $25 million for a single round-trip “ticket”. This fall the agency will pay $90 million for that same seat in what it hopes will be its last Soyuz capsule flight.
In the meantime NASA granted contracts to SpaceX and Boeing to develop a commercial, U.S-based spacecraft. SpaceX took the lead with its Falcon-9 rocket and Flash Gordon-like space capsule called Dragon. And as long as the weather cooperates, the Crew Dragon mission will launch today (May 27) at 3:33 p.m. CDT from pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center, the same pad Apollo 11 used to rocket to the moon in July 1969. When it flies, SpaceX will become the first private company to launch humans into orbit.
I’m as excited as you are about today’s launch and can’t think of a better way to blow away the COVID-19 blues. Virus or not here we go!
You can watch the historic event live at these streaming sites:
NASA Live (countdown begins at 11:15 a.m. CDT)
NASA Youtube channel
SpaceX Youtube channel
Envivo LIVE (for Spanish-speaking viewers)
SpaceX Twitter for updates
As of this writing there’s only a 50 percent chance of good weather for the launch due to turbulent cumulus clouds and possible rain showers. Should weather force a cancellation the next launch dates are Saturday May 30 at 2:22 p.m. and Sunday May 31 at 2 p.m. **** UPDATE: Due to bad weather the launch was scrubbed about 17 minutes before the planned liftoff. NASA will try again Saturday at 2:22 p.m.
Veteran NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley have been training for this day since 2018. Their gumdrop-shaped spacecraft sits atop a Falcon 9 rocket. 12 minutes after liftoff Crew Dragon will enter low Earth orbit. The rocket will return and land on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean. For the next 19 hours the astronauts will orbit the planet as the Dragon capsule catches up to the space station where it will dock at 10:29 a.m. CDT on May 28.
Due to COVID-19 concerns has closed the usual viewing spots. Like many of you I’ll be watching it live online. Many of us will also have the opportunity to see Crew Dragon pass overhead sky tonight before it docks tomorrow. From the Central Time Zone it will follow the space station by around 40 minutes tonight. I’ve listed several cities and times below to watch. For a list of passes for your city go to Heavens Above, add your city (upper right) and then return to the home page and click on the blue Crew Dragon link on the left side of the page. That will take you to a list of passes. Click on a pass for a map and details. Like the space station, Crew Dragon moves from west to east across the sky.
Not visible from the southern states — northern locations are favored. All times are local and for tonight (Weds.) May 27:
Duluth, Minn. — 9:53 to 9:57 p.m. across the lower third of the northern sky. Magnitude 1.5 (Bright)
Grand Marais, Minn. — 9:54 to 9:57 p.m. halfway up in the northern sky. Magnitude 0.8 (Bright!)
Minneapolis — 9:54 to 9:57 p.m. very low across the northern sky. Magnitude 2.3 (modestly bright, equal to the Big Dipper stars)
Chicago — 9:56 to 9:58 p.m. very low across in the northern sky. Magnitude 2.8 (somewhat dim)
Boston — 9:24 to 9:27 p.m. very low across the northern sky. Magnitude 3.0 (dim)
Cleveland — 10:56 to 10:57 p.m. very low across the northern sky. Magnitude 2.5
Denver — 10:27 to 10:28 p.m. very low across the northern sky. Magnitude 3.1
Fargo, ND — 9:53 to 9:57 p.m. low across the northern sky. Magnitude 1.8
Portland, OR — 9:23 to 9:26 p.m. low in the northern sky. Magnitude 2.5
Seattle — 10:56 to 10:58 p.m. in the western sky and disappearing into Earth’s shadow halfway up. Magnitude 0.3 (Very bright!)