Where gravity is zero, humanity becomes the biggest religion. The International Space Station (ISS) is one such place in outer space.
Two NASA astronauts—Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore—have been stranded there for several months. This time, Russia was responsible for sending rations and other supplies for them and other astronauts present on the ISS.
Progress 91 of the Russian space agency Roscosmos successfully docked at the ISS on Saturday. This spacecraft arrived with three tons of food, fuel, and other essential items. Roscosmos' Progress 91 spacecraft will remain docked at the ISS for the next six months. After this, there is a plan to return to Earth by filling it with garbage.
Sunita and Butch are stuck for eight months
NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore have been stuck on the ISS for the last eight months. They went into space on Boeing's Starliner on June 5, 2024, but due to technical flaws, the return was not possible.
Problems like helium leaks and thruster malfunctions made the Starliner unsafe. Now, NASA has said that both astronauts can return by the end of March, but this will also depend on weather conditions.
After Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, Crew 10 will take over the command of the ISS. This team will launch on March 12 and will replace Williams and Wilmore after reaching the ISS.
Who is in Crew 10?
- Anne McClain – Commander
- Nichole Ayers – Pilot
- Takuya Onishi (JAXA) – Mission Specialist
- Kirill Peskov (Roscosmos) – Mission Specialist
These astronauts will be kept in isolation for two weeks before the launch so that they do not come in contact with any disease.
Crew 10 will be launched from SpaceX Dragon
Crew 10 will be launched in SpaceX's Dragon capsule. It will fly from NASA Kennedy Space Center via Falcon 9 rocket on March 12, 7:48 PM EDT.
Steve Stich, NASA's Commercial Crew Program Manager, said,
"Human space flight is always full of challenges, but the strong partnership between NASA and SpaceX gives us the ability to overcome every challenge."
