Same Capsule, Different Day

April 20, 2021 – SpaceX and NASA are poised to send another crewed mission into space with  Crew-2 set to fly to the International Space Station in the early hours on Thursday, April 22.  The international veteran crew includes Thomas Pesquet of the European Space Agency, Akihiko Hoshide with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and two NASA astronauts: Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur.

Megan McArthur Image: NASA

McArthur may have bragging rights for the most interesting connection to past missions.  She is flying in the previously flown Falcon 9 booster and Crew Dragon capsule that last year launched her husband, Bob Behnken.  Along with fellow NASA astronaut Doug Hurley, Behnken was part of the team to once again send Americans to space from U.S. soil.

McArthur and Behnken have a 6-year-old son, Theodore, and his father scored some major dad points when a toy doll named Tremor began to float in the Dragon capsule as the craft reached orbit. The miniature Apatosaurus was voted on to make the trip by Theo and Hurley’s 10-year-old son, Jack.

Can mom hope to compete in this out-of-this-world competition? You’ll just have to watch on April 22, if all systems are go and McArthur and her team head for space.

And if you need some place to stop for a friendly chat or a little refreshment, come to the WELCOME CENTER in downtown Titusville…OPEN ALL NIGHT before the launch in the wee hours of Thursday morning.

Source: Florida Today