NASA, SpaceX Rehearse 'Crucial Element' In Crew Dragon Launch

NASA and SpaceX recently teamed up to perform crucial exercises in preparation for future return missions from the International Space Station (ISS). The exercises mainly revolved around extracting astronauts from SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft.

The event, which was composed of simulation drills, was held at Florida’s Port Canaveral. During the exercise, crew members from SpaceX and NASA worked together to remove astronauts from a mock-up of the Crew Dragon.

The drill was carried out using a replica of SpaceX’s Go Searcher, the ship that will recover astronauts and spacecraft after they have splashed down in the ocean.

Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken, the NASA astronauts who have been selected to fly to and from the ISS aboard the Crew Dragon, were present at the event and served as the main subjects of the recovery drills. These two astronauts will board the Crew Dragon for its first human test flight known as Demo-2.

As part of the simulation, Hurley and Behnken were medically evaluated after they were recovered by NASA and SpaceX’s teams.

“Integrated tests like today’s are a crucial element in preparing human spaceflight missions,” Hurley said in a statement. “This opportunity allowed us to work with the recovery team and ensure the plans are solid for the Demo-2 mission.”

Although NASA and SpaceX have been working together in various missions for years now, the recent event marked the first time that these two performed complete extractions of astronauts after returning from space.

According to Ted Mosteller, the recovery director for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, performing complete recovery drills prepares teams from both the agency and SpaceX to work seamlessly. Its main purpose is to ensure that members of the recovery teams are well aware of their individual roles and responsibilities.

Since the extraction is a crucial part of the mission, having efficient teams carrying out this task will ensure the safety of the astronauts.

“We’re making sure that the team integrates together – that’s a key to any successful mission,” Mosteller said. “We worked on successfully doing what we need to do to take care of the crew once they return to Earth.”