SpaceX Crew-1 Astronauts surpass U.S. record for most days in space by a crew launched aboard American spacecraft

SpaceX’s first operational mission under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, Crew-1, broke the record for the most days in space, with over 100 days at the International Space Station (ISS). Crew-1 NASA astronauts Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover, Shannon Walker, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Soichi Noguchi launched to the orbiting laboratory on November 15 and arrived on November 16. They lifted off atop SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket aboard the Crew Dragon Resilience spacecraft from Launch Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The quartet has been working at ISS for 101 days conducting a wide variety of science experiments and research in microgravity. Crew-1 surpassed the U.S. record for most days in space by an astronaut crew launched aboard American spacecraft, surpassing the record of 84 days set by the Skylab 4 crew on Feb. 8, 1974, the agency says. Dragon remains docked to the ISS’s docking port on the Harmony module, “The SpaceX Crew Dragon has officially been in space for more than 100 days!” the agency announced via Twitter. Crew-1 is scheduled to return to Earth until Spring, either in late April or early May.

The @SpaceX Crew Dragon has officially been in space for more than 💯 days!

The Crew-1 mission launched on Nov. 15, 2020 & arrived at the @Space_Station on Nov. 16, carrying Shannon Walker, @AstroVicGlover, @Astro_illini & @Astro_Soichi. They will return in late April/early May. pic.twitter.com/diRup7ArOx

— NASA Commercial Crew (@Commercial_Crew) February 24, 2021

Meanwhile, the brave astronaut crew are preparing to perform spacewalks. They are scheduled to conduct Extravehicular Activities (EVA) on February 28. NASA astronauts and flight engineers Rubins and Glover will suit-up to work on installing some upgrades on the Space Station’s giant solar arrays over the weekend. They will initiate their spacewalk at approximately 6:00 a.m. EST and it will last around six-and-a-half hours. “The duo spent Tuesday servicing their spacesuits and practicing safety procedures inside the Quest airlock. Glover cleaned the spacesuit cooling water loops and tested the quality of the water samples collected from the loops,” the agency shared, “Rubins reviewed the spacesuit caution and warning system then checked glove heaters, helmet cameras and batteries.” You can watch Sunday's spacewalk Live in the video below, courtesy of NASA TV. Feb. 28 at 4:30 a.m. – Coverage of ISS Expedition 64 U.S. Spacewalk #71. Rubins and Glover; spacewalk scheduled to begin at 6 a.m. EST; expected to last 6 ½ hours.

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Featured Image Source: NASA