CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. In a spectacular display of international collaboration, a quartet of astronauts representing four nations embarked on a journey toward the International Space Station on Saturday.
Anticipated to dock with the orbiting laboratory in their SpaceX capsule on Sunday, these astronauts are set to replace their counterparts who have been inhabiting the station since March.
Amid a predawn liftoff from Kennedy Space Center, a NASA astronaut was accompanied by spacefarers hailing from Denmark, Japan, and Russia. A heartening moment ensued as they grasped each other’s gloved hands upon entering orbit.
This mission marked a historic U.S. launch, as every seat in the spacecraft was occupied by an astronaut from a distinct country. Previously, NASA had included its own crew members on SpaceX taxi flights, but due to a unique sequence of events, this launch featured a fully international crew.
As the crew soared into the skies, NASA’s Jasmin Moghbeli conveyed from orbit, “We’re a united team with a common mission.” NASA’s Ken Bowersox, the chief of space operations, chimed in, “Boy, what a beautiful launch … and with four international crew members, really an exciting thing to see.”
Leading the six-month endeavor is Moghbeli, a Marine pilot, joined by the European Space Agency’s Andreas Mogensen, Japan’s Satoshi Furukawa, and Russia’s Konstantin Borisov.
“To explore space, we need to do it together,” emphasized the European Space Agency’s director general, Josef Aschbacher, just minutes before liftoff. He stressed the global nature of space exploration and the pivotal role international cooperation plays.
The pathways these astronauts took to reach space are as diverse as their origins. Moghbeli’s parents fled Iran during the 1979 revolution, and she grew up in Germany and New York before becoming a Marine pilot. Mogensen initially worked on oil rigs off West Africa, foreseeing a need for space drilling akin to Bruce Willis’ role in the movie “Armageddon.” Furukawa was a surgeon before becoming an astronaut, and Borisov, a newcomer to space, transitioned from business to engineering and now operates a freediving school in Moscow.
An appealing perk of this international venture is the array of foods on board, ranging from Persian herbed stew to Danish chocolate and Japanese mackerel.
As a bonus sight for the early-morning spectators, SpaceX’s first-stage booster returned to Cape Canaveral moments after liftoff.
The launch was postponed by a day to review data regarding valves in the capsule’s life-support system. On the day of liftoff, a minor fuel leak emerged in the capsule’s thruster system, nearly halting the countdown. SpaceX engineers determined the leak posed no threat with just minutes to spare.
In mid-September, NASA will send another astronaut to the station from Kazakhstan in exchange for two Russian cosmonauts. With eight crew launches for NASA under its belt, SpaceX continues to demonstrate its capabilities. In contrast, although Boeing was contracted nearly a decade ago, it is yet to transport astronauts due to parachute and technical issues.
Gary P Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
