Astronauts of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-3 mission, including crew members from NASA and ESA (European Space Agency), will answer questions about their recent mission aboard the International Space Station during a post-splashdown news conference at 11:45 a.m. EDT Wednesday, May 11. The event will air live on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website.
NASA astronauts Kayla Barron, Raja Chari and Tom Marshburn, as well as ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer, will participate in this first media event following their splashdown. The Crew-3 astronauts also will participate in a Facebook Live on the NASA Astronauts’ Facebook page at 10:50 a.m. ahead of the news conference.
Reporters who wish to participate must RSVP to the newsroom at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston at: jsccommu@mail.nasa.gov or 281-483-5111 no later than 9:45 a.m. Wednesday, May 11 to receive dial-in information. To ask questions, reporters must dial into the news conference no later than 11:40 a.m. Those following the briefing on social media may ask questions using #AskNASA.
Barron, Chari, Marshburn, and Maurer, returned to Earth in a parachute-assisted splashdown in SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft Endurance at 12:43 a.m. Friday, May 6, off the coast of Florida. After returning to shore, the astronauts flew back to Houston, where they were greeted by their families and colleagues.
Crew-3 astronauts traveled 75,060,792 miles during their 177 days in orbit (175 of which were spent aboard the International Space Station). They completed 2,832 orbits around Earth. During their science expedition aboard the orbiting laboratory, the Crew-3 astronauts conducted experiments, including a study on concrete hardening in microgravity, research on cotton varieties that could help develop drought-resistant plants, and executed a space archaeology study that could provide information that contributes to the design of future space habitats.
They tested new life support technology, installed new combustion research hardware, and talked to thousands of students during dozens of amateur radio contacts. Working in pairs, the astronauts also completed four spacewalks to prepare the station for upcoming solar array upgrades by assembling and installing modification kits and successfully replacing a faulty antenna on the Port-1 truss structure.
This was the third flight of a NASA-certified commercial human spacecraft flown as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program, and the fourth crewed flight to the space station aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft.
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