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Thursday 29 October 2020
The capsule splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico at the expected time of 7.48pm.
Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley are set to come back to Earth tomorrow evening.
A new batch of 58 Starlink internet satellites and three Earth-observation satellites were launched.
Docking took place at 3.16pm Irish time and the astronauts entered some three hours later.
It is the first time a private company has carried people into space.
The launch will be attempted again on Saturday.
If all goes as planned, the mission will see SpaceX become the first private company to send astronauts into space.
The Falcon 9 rocket blasted off as normal before the Dragon crew capsule catapulted off the top 12 miles above the Atlantic.
Observatory director Jeff Hall said the satellites will be a growing risk to stargazers in the future.
The rocket carried a Saudi Arabian satellite operated by Arabsat.
It was the first private space mission to the International Space Station.
The announcement was met with applause at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.
The launch is a key step towards resuming manned space flights from US soil.
“Our products are too expensive for most people,” Elon Musk said.
The company employs over 6,000 people.
On 3 August the agency named the first nine astronauts who will fly to space on Boeing and SpaceX vehicles in 2019.
The supply capsule launched on Monday from Florida.
The SpaceX CEO didn’t have to include his red Tesla roadster, which reportedly was playing Space Oddity during blast off.
The launch in the setting sun created a billowing streak that was widely seen throughout the area.
A trip from Bangkok to Dubai would take 27 minutes, and from Tokyo to Delhi in 30 minutes.
The company hopes to start launching crewed flights from next year.
It was carrying a payload for the US agency that makes spy satellites.
Musk says that the goal is to make rocket parts as reusable as cars, planes or bicycles.
Last week SpaceX announced it would launch two tourists to skirt Earth’s satellite next year.
In a statement this evening, the company said that the two people had paid a “significant deposit” to travel beyond the moon.
The earliest a relaunch can be attempted is tomorrow morning.
The landing comes four months after a costly launchpad explosion of a SpaceX rocket.
There were no injuries.
The Dragon capsule contains a docking station which would allow future spaceships to park at the International Space Station.
If at first you don’t succeed…
Back to the drawing board for Elon Musk’s company.
The Space X rocket will resupply the space station, but it needs to catch it first.
Reports say Google are planning a big investment in SpaceX.
The company hopes to hone technology so that rockets can return to Earth intact for use again.
Instead of being discarded in the ocean, the booster stages could return to Earth.
Yo, homes to Bel Air.
SpaceX is headed by PayPal co-founder Elon Musk.
A few weeks into orbit, the LightSail’s wings will expand, making it visible from Earth.
However, the six-man crew is not currently in danger, officials have said.
Whether for personal dreams of adventure or for profit, these companies are doing the engineering and basic science needed to get humans into space.
MEMBERS OF THE Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland (ASTI) yesterday voted to take industrial action unless the government addresses several issues related to Covid-19 in schools by 30 October.
The issues in question include the need for a comprehensive testing programme, rapid testing and turnaround times, along with resources for schools to ensure continuation of learning if schools are closed or people are self-isolating.
The ASTI president Ann Piggott said: “ASTI members are clearly stating that they want schools to remain open for students during this pandemic.”
She said teachers are “demanding that the government step up” and provide solutions to these issues.
So, today we want to know: Would you support teachers striking over Covid-19 safety concerns?
Poll Results:
Share your story: voices@thejournal.ie
The goalposts – and polling analysis – have shifted since 2016, Noel Rock writes.
Rain tapering off; breezy this afternoon
Max: 15 °C
Min: 10 °C
Mostly cloudy with a couple of showers
Max: 12 °C
Min: 9 °C
Rather cloudy, a little rain; windy
Max: 13 °C
Min: 7 °C
