The crew includes NASA astronauts Commander Anne McClain and Pilot Nichole Ayers, JAXA astronaut Mission Specialist Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Mission Specialist Kirill Peskov. Their mission represents the 10th crew rotation conducted by SpaceX under NASA's Commercial Crew Program. "While aboard, the international crew will conduct scientific investigations and technology demonstrations to help prepare humans for future missions and benefit people on Earth."
Selected by NASA as an astronaut in 2013, this will be McClain's second spaceflight. A U.S. Army colonel, McClain holds a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from West Point and master's degrees in Aerospace Engineering, International Security, and Strategic Studies. The Spokane, Washington, native was an instructor pilot in the OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopter and is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School in Patuxent River, Maryland. Her distinguished career includes over 2,300 flight hours in 24 types of aircraft, with more than 800 combat hours. McClain previously spent 204 days on the ISS during Expeditions 58 and 59 and conducted two spacewalks. She has also served in leadership roles at NASA, including branch chief and assistant to the chief of NASA's Astronaut Office.
Ayers is a major in the U.S. Air Force and the first member of NASA's 2021 astronaut class named to a crew. The Colorado native graduated from the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs with a bachelor's degree in Mathematics and a minor in Russian, where she was a member of the academy's varsity volleyball team. She later earned a master's in Computational and Applied Mathematics from Rice University. Her military career includes experience as an instructor pilot and mission commander in the T-38 ADAIR and F-22 Raptor, with over 1,400 flight hours and 200 combat hours.
With 113 days in space, this mission also will mark Onishi's second trip to the space station. After being selected by JAXA in 2009, he flew as a flight engineer for Expeditions 48 and 49. He holds a bachelor's degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics from the University of Tokyo and was a pilot for All Nippon Airways, flying more than 3,700 flight hours in the Boeing 767. Since his spaceflight, Onishi became certified as a JAXA flight director, overseeing operations for the Kibo module on the ISS.
NASA's SpaceX Crew-10 mission also will be Peskov's first spaceflight. Before his selection as a cosmonaut in 2018, he earned a degree in Engineering from the Ulyanovsk Civil Aviation School and was a co-pilot on the Boeing 757 and 767 aircraft for airlines Nordwind and Ikar. Assigned as a test-cosmonaut in 2020, he has additional experience in skydiving, zero-gravity training, scuba diving, and wilderness survival.
For over 20 years, the ISS has been a hub for continuous human presence and scientific research, providing invaluable insights and technological advancements. The station is essential for NASA's goal to tackle the challenges of long-duration spaceflight and enhance commercial opportunities in low Earth orbit. As private companies develop human space transportation services, NASA's Artemis program is laying the groundwork for human exploration of Mars.
Related Links
NASA's Commercial Crew
Rocket Science News at Space-Travel.Com
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