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First Time American-Made SpaceX Shuttle to Space Since 2011
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Doug Hurley, an Apalachin native, and Owego Free Academy graduate will be heading to space on May 27, 2020.
Hurley will pilot the SpaceX ship. This will be the first manned flight aboard an American-made vehicle since Hurley piloted the final flight of Space Shuttle Atlantis in July 2011. Since then, American astronauts have been traveling to space in Russian rockets.
Hurley will launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. He could be in space for one to four months.
Executive Director of the Kopernik Observatory Drew Deskur says there could be an opportunity for local children to speak with Hurley on the space station if the timing is right.
Deskur says, “One of the particular things about this mission with SpaceX is that, depending on a number of things, right now, they don’t know when Doug is coming back. It is entirely possible that in mid-August, when we have our scheduled ham radio contact with the ISS, Doug may actually be on board.”
The launch will be streamed at 4:33 p.m. ET on My Twin Tiers website. Livestreaming begins at noon.
By Jeanette Vietti
Sources:
MyTwinTiers: Apalachin astronaut heads to space
WNBF: Kopernik Granted Access to NASA Feed For Launch Carrying Local Astronaut
12 News: Apalachin native prepares for takeoff
Image Courtesy of NASA Johnson’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons Licenses
