Two NASA astronauts fly to the International Space Station on the fourth ever commercial crew mission on SpaceX in 2022 – and you can follow their adventures on social media next year.
Kjell Lindgren – a potential lunar astronaut for the Artemis program who spoke to “The Martian” stars from orbit in 2015 – returns to space for his second mission. Joining him will be Bob Hines, a research test pilot (like the famous moon walker Neil Armstrong) who just trained for full astronaut status last year after his 2017 election.
The mission will launch sometime in 2022 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from its usual launch site: Launch Complex 39A at NASA̵
Related: SpaceX, NASA targets April 20 for next Crew Dragon launch to ISS
Both astronauts regularly post their training on social media so you can see when they are getting ready for the big flight. The astronauts have already talked about their tasks on Twitter. “So blessed to be a part of this crew,” Hines tweeted. Lindgren said he was excited to join Hines in Space and share the journey to the launch, adding: “Let’s Fly!” You can follow Lindgren on Twitter and Instagram or Hines on Twitter and Instagram.
Several crew members will join Hines and Lindgren on Crew Dragon – which has a maximum of four people – following allocation from international agencies, NASA said in a statement. (The most likely agencies to join them would be from major space station partners Russia, Europe or Japan, as minority partner Canada’s next astronaut mission is expected in 2023.)
Lindgren, the first Taiwanese-born astronaut in space, spent 141 days in space during expeditions 44 and 45, performed dozens of experiments along with public engagement opportunities such as celebrating Thanksgiving in orbit and being one of the first people to eat plants grown in space . Lindgren’s mission also coincided with a one – year mission from NASA astronaut Scott Kelly and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko, which continues to generate valuable research on how long stays in space affect the human body.
Lindgren, who was an aerospace surgeon for space shuttle and space station missions before being selected for astronaut training in 2009, holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from the US Air Force Academy, a master’s degree in cardiovascular physiology from Colorado State University and a medical degree from the University of Colorado. .
Hines is a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Air Force and is a graduate of the prestigious Air Force Test Pilot School, according to his NASA biography. Before NASA took him into astronaut school in 2017, he supported military deployments in several countries, served as a test pilot in the Federal Aviation Administration, and flew as a NASA research pilot. His bachelor’s degree is in aeronautical engineering from the University of Alabama.
Hines often writes about flying on Twitter and was one of the astronauts who mourned the loss of Chuck Yeager – the pilot who broke the speed of sound – in December at the age of 97. “An American legend, a war hero and a great storyteller “He’s … why I joined the Air Force,” Hines tweeted. “I had the honor of meeting and talking to him several times. I will never forget his stories of the Air Corps’ meat buyers!” We will never see another like him. Godspeed General Yeager! “
SpaceX is the first company to launch a commercial crew vehicle into space and put its first two manned aircraft into orbit in 2020. Boeing, another company tasked with taxiing astronauts to orbit, faces continued delays with its Starliner CST-100 spacecraft – but hopes to take another test-free flight no earlier than April.
Follow Elizabeth Howell on Twitter @howellspace. follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.
