Hi everybody and welcome back to the Elon Musk podcast, where we
cover all things SpaceX, Tesla and beyond.
Today, we're going to be discussing the recent arrival of
Crew 7 to the International Space Station, a landmark moment
in the realm of international cooperation and space
exploration. CREW 7 comprises astronauts and
cosmonauts from NASA, the European Space Agency, the Japan
Aerospace Exploration Agency, and Ras Cosmos.
They touch down on the space station aboard the SpaceX Dragon
spacecraft, aptly named Endurance, and in today's
episode, we'll unpack the details of their mission,
explore the docking process, and assess what their arrival
heralds for the future of global cooperation in space.
But before we venture further into the cosmos, let's hear from
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Now before we discuss the Crew 7 mission, let's set the stage by
talking a bit about the Falcon 9 rocket and the Dragon
spacecraft. Both are engineered by SpaceX
Falcon 9. The two stage rocket has truly
revolutionized space travel. Designed to be reusable, this
innovation drastically cuts the cost of sending payloads,
whether they be satellites, supplies or humans, into space.
In the first stage of the Falcon 9, rocket is capable of
returning to Earth and landing vertically, allowing it to be
used for future missions. This isn't just a step forward,
it's a giant leap for the economics of space exploration.
Now the Dragon spacecraft specifically for human crude
missions. We're dealing with the Crude
Dragon, an autonomous spacecraft designed to transport astronauts
to and from the International Space Station.
And the Dragon spacecraft is unique in many ways.
It's one of the few spacecraft with touchscreen controls
instead of a plethora of switches and buttons and crew.
Dragon also comes with life support systems to ensure the
astronauts are kept in optimal conditions during their voyage.
Let's not forget Dragon was the first commercially built crude
spacecraft to go to the ISS. Now, the Dragon spacecraft,
Endurance successfully docked with the International Space
Station at 9:16 AM Eastern on a recent Sunday, and the ISS was
orbiting 261 miles above Queensland, Australia at the
time. And after docking, Crew 7 and
the current inhabitants of the ISS began the meticulous process
of conducting standard leak checks and pressurization, which
culminated in the Dragons hatch opening at 10:59 AM.
This marks a significant point in the mission, as Crew 7
officially joined the space station's crew and the current
members of Expedition 69, including NASA astronauts, some
people from the UAE, also people from Russia, and now people from
Japan. Which is great because it's an
international smorgasbord of astronauts in the space station.
For a brief period, the ISS will become even more cosmopolitan
than it usually is, housing 11 people until crew Six members
Bowen, Hoberg, Anyati and Fedyev return to Earth a few days
later. Now they're scheduled undocking
and return to Earth. Make room for the new team to
settle in and get down to business and the new crew
representing the US, Japan, Russia, and is already getting
acquainted with life in microgravity.
They're also being briefed on safety procedures, emergency
hardware locations, and more. And on Monday afternoon, these
newly arrived flight engineers from Expedition 69 were briefed
by Station Commander Sergey Prok Piev of Roscosmos and flight
engineer Sultan and Yati of the UAE.
And the crew is expected to live and work 260 miles above Earth
for the next six months, contributing to ongoing
experiments and possibly participating in space walks.
Now another set of astronauts is also preparing for departure.
NASA astronaut Stephen Bowen, the commander of the SpaceX
Dragon Endeavor spacecraft, will lead NASA pilot Woody Hoburg,
admissions specialist Anyati and Andrei Fedyav of Roscosmos in
the return to Earth In. This return journey is
tentatively scheduled for Saturday, September 2nd in a
skate speed edit this out and the spacecraft is expected to
splash down off the coast of Florida.
Meanwhile, the station's other two crew members, Frank Rubio of
NASA and Dimitri Petlian of Roscosmos, are not lounging
around. They've been busy with a variety
of tasks aboard the ISS. Rubio recently checked a Dragon
pressure suit in the Endeavor spacecraft with assistance from
Enyadi. Pentlin, on the other hand,
conducted photographic inspections throughout the
station's Roscosmos segment and wrapped up his day with a vision
test and exercise. Now, there's so much happening
on the ISS, and it's a testament to the capabilities of
international edit this out. There's so much happening on the
ISS, and it's a testament to the capabilities of international
cooperation in advancing our understanding of life in space.
And whether it's the technology that makes docking A spacecraft
with the ISS possible or the collaborative experiments that
are conducted aboard, these missions are a showcase of what
humanity can achieve when we all work together.
So that's it for today, everybody.
Hope it's been enlightening, and I hope you enjoyed the episode
about the International Space Station, the Crew Dragon, and
also the Falcon 9 and all the astronauts on board the ISS.
Now, thank you for tuning into the show today.
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