Axiom House astronauts Michael López-Alegría, Larry Connor, Eytan Stibbe, and Mark Pathy have safely returned to Earth, marking the top of the Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1) – the primary non-public astronaut mission to the Worldwide House Station (ISS). SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft, carrying the crew of 4 and greater than 200 kilos of science and provides, together with NASA experiments and {hardware}, undocked from the house station at 9:10 p.m. EDT on Sunday, April 24. About 16 hours later, the car splashed down within the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Florida.
“The success of this primary non-public astronaut mission to the Worldwide House Station is a vital step in opening alternatives for house vacationers and attaining NASA’s objective of enabling business enterprise off the planet in low-Earth orbit,” mentioned NASA Administrator Invoice Nelson. “This progress has been made potential by NASA’s work with non-public trade – particularly the Business Crew Program. I’m extremely happy with the NASA, SpaceX, and Axiom groups for safely finishing this landmark mission. Welcome residence, Ax-1!”
The crew spent 15 days in orbit, conducting a wide range of science experiments and expertise demonstrations. A couple of highlights embody analysis on most cancers cell development, an indication testing a brand new air air purifier for station use, and a research using swarms of autonomous tiles for future purposes of in-space building.
Following splashdown, groups will retrieve science aboard the Dragon spacecraft and transport it to close by Kennedy House Heart for additional investigation. Kennedy’s proximity to the coast permits researchers to check their experiments mere hours after their return to Earth, whereas the consequences of microgravity are nonetheless largely intact.
NASA is partnering with business firms to determine a sturdy low-Earth orbit economic system – one the place authorities and personal astronauts stay and work aboard the house station and future business habitats. NASA not too long ago chosen Axiom House to barter for a second non-public astronaut mission to the orbiting laboratory and plans to announce a 3rd flight alternative later this yr.
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