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SpaceX: First Men

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Nikxice

Active Member
Oct 31, 2014
1,253
2,192
Hudson, NH
Elon is the main man, but he won't be the first to fly SpaceX. So who will it be? Can names, faces, and personalities of astronauts help bring broad public recognition to SpaceX? Perhaps it doesn't matter if the identity of SpaceX continues to get mixed-up with NASA. That type of confusion hasn't hurt businesses such as UPS or the USPS. Still, with the repeated success of Falcon 9 launches and booster landings, awareness of SpaceX is increasing. Adding to the spotlight soon will be the first FH launch.

In about nine months two American astronauts are to launch atop a Falcon 9 inside of a Dragon 2 spacecraft. I'm looking forward to hearing details from SpaceX, including crewmember names. This mission will undoubtedly get more coverage than US astronauts currently receive when launching out of Baikonur. Heck, who can even name the last two NASA astronauts that rode a Soyuz to the ISS on September 13th? Mark Vande Hei and Joe Acaba, but I had to look it up!

In July 2015 four NASA astronauts were assigned to work with SpaceX and Boeing. Since then, there hasn't been much coverage of their specific activities. Obviously the media attention thrust upon the Mercury Seven hasn't rubbed off on the Falcon Four! Two of the four are likely to become the first to reach LEO on a SpaceX test flight. I would guess that NASA has the greater input over the final selection process. The Deke Slayton of this generation of astronauts is Patrick Forrester, Chief of the Astronaut Office. In the last century NASA relied on astronauts with as much spaceflight experience as possible to command a new spacecraft. Gus Grissom was chosen for Gemini and Apollo, John Young for STS.

Other considerations. What will be the objectives of this first manned flight? It's likely destined for a hookup with the ISS, it could also have a duration of up to fourteen days. Splashdown will probably be in the Pacific. For younger space buffs that will be a new experience. On a side note, when I looked up the date of the July 1975 Apollo-Soyuz mission I rediscovered it was not the last manned splashdown in history. During a blizzard in 1976, Soyuz 23 inadvertently landed on a partially frozen lake and soon sank several meters. Submerged overnight, the capsule was located and eventually dragged out of water. The two man crew was presumed to be dead. Eleven hours after landing the hatch was finally opened. The Cosmonauts were frosty, but miraculously alive. Still waiting for the movie about that adventure.

How will the Dragon crew egress after splashdown, using a raft, crane hoist or perhaps a helicopter transfer? Also, will US Navy ships be deployed to assist? Lots of questions, perhaps some of the answers are already out there and I've just missed them.

I've put up links to the NASA biographies for each of the four prospective astronauts. Just for fun, I've taken a stab at handicapping the odds for who might possibly sit in the commanders couch. Anyone can pick it apart, this is about as subjective as one can get!

https://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/behnken-rl.pdf 8/1
https://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/boe-ea.pdf 7/2
https://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/hurley-dg.pdf 4/1
https://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/williams-s.pdf 5/2

Just speculating, if accumulated time in space and command experience are major factors, SpaceX's first seat could turn out to be occupied by someone other than a man. Sunita Williams would be an excellent choice.
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