Crew-13 Launches 4 Astronauts to ISS for Moon and Mars Research
Updated
Updated · WESH 2 Orlando · Sep 29
Crew-13 Launches 4 Astronauts to ISS for Moon and Mars Research
3 articles · Updated · WESH 2 Orlando · Sep 29
Summary
11:10 a.m. liftoff from Kennedy Space Center sent Crew-13’s four astronauts into orbit after weather left only a 60% launch chance earlier in the morning.
The Falcon 9 first stage landed successfully at Landing Zone 40, while the crew headed to the International Space Station to join Expedition 75.
Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney are flying as commander and pilot, with Canadian astronaut Joshua Kutryk and Russian cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov serving as mission specialists.
Months-long station work will center on microgravity’s effects on blood flow, vision, exercise and piloting performance, with NASA aiming to use the data for future Moon and Mars missions.
The broader science program also includes in-space manufacturing, bioprinting, augmented reality and AI health-monitoring tools, extending the ISS’s role as a testbed for deep-space exploration.
Will the record-breaking seven-hour transit of the Dragon spacecraft Grace fundamentally change how human bodies initially react to sudden microgravity?
If critical piloting skills degrade after just four months in space, how will astronauts safely manually land on distant planets?
Could a simple daily vitamin be the secret to saving astronauts from permanent vision loss during future missions to Mars?