NASA, SpaceX Continue Crew‑13 Prep as Crew Enters Quarantine

The crew of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-13 mission entered quarantine late Thursday at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Mission preparations continue as NASA and SpaceX target an early October launch to the International Space Station. As part of routine prelaunch quarantine, NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney, CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Joshua Kutryk, […].

NASA, SpaceX Continue Crew‑13 Prep as Crew Enters Quarantine. NASA, SpaceX Continue Crew‑13 Prep as Crew Enters Quarantine The four members representing NASA’s SpaceX Crew-13 mission to the International Space Station pose for a portrait next to the Dragon spacecraft mockup after completing a preflight training session at SpaceX’s facility in Hawthorne, California. Most interactions will occur remotely, and family members and selected mission-related personnel must undergo medical screening before meeting with the crew.

This practice, begun during NASA’s Apollo Program, reduces the risk of preflight illnesses and prevents symptoms from developing during flight. Before quarantine, the crew completed preflight training at the SpaceX facility in Hawthorne, California, and performed a Crew Equipment Interface Test at the company’s facility at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. During the daylong exercise, the crew members put on their spacesuits, entered the Dragon spacecraft, conducted suit leak checks, and verified good seat fit.

NASA’s Roman Space Telescope may now have enough fuel for at least 22 years of science, more than double its original 10 year design life. An extremely precise course correction, extra fuel at launch, and additional expected savings could keep the powerful observatory studying the universe for decades.

NASA’s Roman Space Telescope could last more than twice as long as planned. An exceptionally precise first mid-course correction, combined with other fuel savings, could more than double the observatory’s potential lifetime in space.

"As a result of exquisite planning by our orbital dynamics team, brilliant execution by the operations team, and a precise launch from SpaceX, Roman has fuel for at least 22 years of potential science operations," said Jamie Dunn, center director at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Several factors are behind that dramatic extension.

Roman used far less fuel than expected during its first course correction, carried additional propellant at launch, and is projected to conserve even more during its second mid-course correction and orbital insertion. Roman Was Originally Designed for 10 Years Roman was built around a five-year primary mission and a five-year extended mission, giving it a total fuel budget intended to support 10 years of operations.

Because propellant is the spacecraft’s main consumable resource, every kilogram saved during its journey can potentially translate into additional years of scientific observations.