QA &
Commercial Crew astronauts discuss progress, training with employees BY STEVEN SICELOFF
ISS
The panelists took questions from the audience and from other NASA centers during the event. Photo credits: NASA/Kim Shiflett
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here are few days that are the same for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program astronauts as they train for flight tests aboard the next generation of human-rated spacecraft, astronauts Eric Boe and Suni Williams told an audience at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on Thursday. “One of the things I like about being an astronaut is that you’re always doing different things,” Boe said. “I don’t think I have a day or week that’s been the same since we started this.” Williams said the constant changes involved in training are similar to what happens during a space mission, so the daily differences are valuable for the crews. “This is not work, this is fun,” Williams said. “It’s pretty spectacular the stuff we get to do, but it’s not all the same. It’s not routine and I think that’s good training for space. Up there, day-today, every day your timeline changes.” Astronauts Boe, Williams, Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley have not been assigned to specific missions or spacecraft, so all four are cross-training and advising on the development of both Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner and SpaceX’s Crew Dragon. All four
flew on space shuttle missions and have visited or lived aboard the International Space Station during their careers. They each also served as test pilots during their military careers. Boeing and SpaceX are working toward conducting orbital flight tests of their spacecraft without a crew next year, then progressing toward a flight test for each including astronauts before they begin operational missions to take astronauts to the space station. The new launch capability will enhance research opportunities on the orbiting laboratory by doubling the amount of time astronauts working in space have to devote to scientific investigations. Both companies will launch their spacecraft from Florida’s Space Coast using spacecraft, rockets and support networks they own and operate. That approach is novel for NASA’s human spaceflight programs which have always been designed, owned and operated by the agency itself in the past. Taking questions from around the agency during the Kennedy event, Boe and Williams were joined by Bob Cabana, director of Kennedy and a former space shuttle commander, and Kathy Lueders, manager of the Commercial Crew Program.