NASA’s Nick Hague and Roscosmos’ Aleksandr Gorbunov Join Expedition 72 on ISS
NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov successfully docked with the International Space Station (ISS) aboard the SpaceX Dragon capsule on Sunday. Their mission was to bring back NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who have been on the ISS since June 2024.
As Hague and Gorbunov stepped aboard the ISS, they were greeted by the Expedition 72 crew, which includes NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, Jeanette Epps, Don Petitt, Butch Wilmore, and Sunita Williams, as well as Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexander Grebenkin, Alexey Ovchinin, and Ivan Vagner.
SpaceX launched the rescue mission on Saturday, which faced delays due to high winds, rain, and clouds from Hurricane Helene. The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket finally lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 1:17 pm EDT. Inside the Crew Dragon ‘Freedom,’ Hague monitored the automated ascent alongside Gorbunov, who was on his maiden flight.
Typically, Crew Dragons launch with four crew members, but this mission had only two to accommodate seats for Starliner astronauts Barry ‘Butch’ Wilmore and Sunita Williams, who will return to Earth in February 2025. Williams and Wilmore have been on the ISS since June, extending their stay to around 8 months due to safety concerns with the Starliner spacecraft.
For a short time, the number of crew aboard the ISS will increase to 11 until Crew-8 members Dominick, Barratt, Epps, and Grebenkin return to Earth in early October.
Doubts Revealed
NASA -: NASA is the space agency of the United States. They send astronauts to space and explore planets and stars.
Roscosmos -: Roscosmos is the space agency of Russia. They also send astronauts, called cosmonauts, to space.
ISS -: ISS stands for International Space Station. It’s a big spaceship that orbits Earth where astronauts live and work.
SpaceX -: SpaceX is a company that makes rockets and spacecraft. They help NASA and other space agencies send people and things to space.
Dragon capsule -: The Dragon capsule is a spacecraft made by SpaceX. It carries astronauts and supplies to the ISS.
Cape Canaveral -: Cape Canaveral is a place in the United States where rockets are launched into space.
Expedition 72 -: Expedition 72 is the name of the group of astronauts currently living and working on the ISS.
Sunita Williams -: Sunita Williams is an astronaut from NASA. She has been on the ISS for a long time doing important work.
Butch Wilmore -: Butch Wilmore is another astronaut from NASA. He has also been on the ISS with Sunita Williams.