In two days, on Wednesday at 10:33 p.m. Philippine time, a SpaceX rocket with two astronauts in a capsule at the top is supposed to make the United States a real space nation again: for the first time since the last space shuttle nine years ago, another one is launched US rocket from US soil – if everything goes as planned, the USA will be able to celebrate a historic moment thanks to SpaceX and Tesla boss Elon Musk . The crew’s last tests in their Crew Dragon capsule went smoothly on Saturday.
In the Tesla convoy to the capsule
The Tesla Model X, in which astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley are driven to the Falcon 9 by SpaceX on the big day , was also used during the rehearsal, accompanied by another white Model X and a military jeep. The two had previously put on their spacesuits in the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and had taken the elevator to their Tesla, reports Nasa.
In a 20-minute, extremely slow video drive in Model X, the astronauts reached the launch site, where the rocket and capsule have been waiting for them in an upright position since Thursday. Behnken and Hurley climbed into the capsule over an arm at an airy height and closed the hatch after a test of communication. After further tests, the last exercise in the Crew Dragon was successfully completed before the real start on Wednesday, according to Nasa. In photos from these days, the two US room returnees look pleased and relaxed.
As NASA reported after the test, the probability of good starting weather was estimated at that time to be 40 percent. Tesla and SpaceX fans will certainly not keep a close eye on the forecasts over the next few hours than those involved – the next window would only be available on Saturday. As SpaceX explains, the Demo-2 mission is the last major test before NASA certifies the system from Musk’s manned space company for regular flights to the International Space Station. Preparations and (possible) start will be broadcast live on the NASA pages on Wednesday .
