New crew blasts off to start work at International Space Station
The US, French and Russian astronauts were dispatched early because of a medical issue with a crew member on the station.
A new crew rocketed toward the International Space Station on Friday to replace the astronauts who returned to Earth early in Nasa’s first medical evacuation.
SpaceX launched the replacements as soon as possible at Nasa’s request, sending the US, French and Russian astronauts on an expected eight – to nine-month mission stretching until autumn.
The four should arrive at the orbiting lab on Saturday, filling the vacancies left by their evacuated colleagues last month and bringing the space station back to full staff.
“It turns out Friday the 13th is a very lucky day,” SpaceX Launch Control radioed once the astronauts reached orbit. “That was quite a ride,” replied the crew’s commander, Jessica Meir.
Nasa had to put spacewalks on hold and deferred other duties while awaiting the arrival of Americans Meir and Jack Hathaway, France’s Sophie Adenot and Russia’s Andrei Fedyaev.
They will join three other astronauts – one American and two Russians – who kept the space station running the past month.
Satisfied with medical procedures already in place, Nasa ordered no extra check-ups for the crew ahead of lift-off and no new diagnostic equipment was packed.
An ultrasound machine already up there for research went into overdrive on January 7 when used on the ailing crew member.
Nasa has not revealed the ill astronaut’s identity or health issue. All four returning astronauts went straight to the hospital after splashing down in the Pacific near San Diego.
It was the first time in 65 years of human spaceflight that Nasa cut short a mission for medical reasons.
In preparation for Moon and Mars trips where health care will be even more challenging, the new arrivals will test a filter designed to turn drinking water into emergency IV fluid, try out an ultrasound system that relies on artificial intelligence and augmented reality instead of experts on the ground, and perform ultrasound scans on their jugular veins in a blood clot study.
They also will demonstrate their moon-landing skills in a simulated test.
