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THE ESSENTIAL

  • At 11:49 am French time, Space X's Crew Dragon 2 spacecraft will take off from Cape Canaveral in Florida with four astronauts on board, including Frenchman Thomas Pesquet.

  • Less than ten minutes after launch, the capsule will reach Earth orbit and take 24 hours to reach the International Space Station (ISS), where arrival is scheduled for Saturday at 11:10 a.m.

  • This is the second time that Thomas Pesquet has taken off for the International Space Station for a period of six months.

    He will take command during this mission, a first for a Frenchy.

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Space: Here is what Thomas Pesquet will spend his days in orbit

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"This second stay aboard the ISS will be more difficult than the first", confides Thomas Pesquet three days before departure.

TO HAVE

11:46 am: It's heating up… The countdown has started

Dragon capsule in internal electrical power (it no longer receives electrical power from the ground).

#MissionAlpha # Crew2 pic.twitter.com/2NUO9THRwm

- Cité de l'Espace (@CiteEspace) April 23, 2021

11:42 a.m .: Stone-paper-scissors… We have fun in the capsule

However, we cannot tell you who won ...

The crew of Crew-2 is serene, they play rock-paper-scissors to pass the time!

#MissionAlpha https://t.co/RjXHfMo2iV

- CNES (@CNES) April 23, 2021

11:40 am: The images when the arm is retracted ...

Crew access arm retracts from Dragon and Falcon 9 pic.twitter.com/XcQTkHMT3v

- SpaceX (@SpaceX) April 23, 2021

11:35 a.m .: Want to be the future Thomas Pesquet?

One day to put on the astronauts' spacesuit and go on an extra-vehicular outing?

And well… It's possible.

You have to work a little on your subject, but the games are open and the recruitment campaign still underway.

The @ esa astronaut selection campaign is still ongoing.

You have until May 28 to apply!

Who has already registered?

👀


➡️https: //t.co/nQCSAuIvu6


📸 CNES / @ esa / @ NASA pic.twitter.com/w0B3fwgI5W

- CNES (@CNES) April 19, 2021

11:28 a.m .: The wink of the ISS, which passes just above the launch pad

In 24 hours, they will have joined them, in the meantime, the crew of the International Space Station have passed just above during this countdown.

That bright object in the night sky over @NASAKennedy is the @Space_Station, seen during the countdown to liftoff of NASA's SpaceX Crew-2 mission.

Sign up to receive alerts for station sightings near you: https://t.co/MGJIkympUx pic.twitter.com/ZbMyRjN9fL

- NASA (@NASA) April 23, 2021

11:25 am: The fuel tanks have started to be filled ...

Beginning of the filling of the kerosene tank of the 1st stage B1061 of # Falcon9 and that of the 2nd stage.


Beginning of the filling of the liquid oxygen tank on the 1st stage.

#MissionAlpha # Crew2 pic.twitter.com/XRmgXEdExz

- Cité de l'Espace (@CiteEspace) April 23, 2021

11:20 a.m .: The rocket access arm is being retracted

The poll is complete, and we are "go" for launch of NASA's @SpaceX Crew-2 mission to the @Space_Station.

The crew access arm is retracting.

Next, arming the launch escape system, and propellant load: pic.twitter.com/Qjogua8PDr

- NASA (@NASA) April 23, 2021

11:15 a.m .: Crew Dragon's ejection system has been armed

It will be possible to refuel the rocket, one of the most critical moments before departure.

The Crew Dragon's ejection system has been armed.

Its SuperDraco thrusters are able to tear the capsule from the launcher in the event of a problem on the launch pad, then later during takeoff.

#MissionAlpha # Crew2 pic.twitter.com/nVVEMvfJ5A

- Cité de l'Espace (@CiteEspace) April 23, 2021

11:02 am: The blob, the blob, what is the blob?

Well, it is an organism without a brain but which has memory and can learn little (I know people who have a brain but are unable to remember anything) ...

#Did you know ?

In # ISS, @Thom_astro will be joined in July by four blobs.

Thanks to them, the astronaut will carry out various experiments which will also be carried out on Earth by thousands of students with the help of @CNES and @CNRS.

👇https: //t.co/1hOqEDoc6S

- National Center for Scientific Research 🌍 (@CNRS) April 21, 2021

10:57 a.m.: It's going to work hard for the next six months

During the previous mission, baptized Proxima, he had not been idle.

There he will still toil, no less than 200 experiments await him.

Raising a blob, yes you read that correctly, a blob, or even moving objects without hands or testing "space cakes" are on the program.

Our journalist Hélène Ménal reviewed some of the experiments to be carried out.

11:49 a.m.: In an hour, Thomas Pesquet will take off for a new mission

The mission "Alpha" that will lead Thomas Pesquet during his six months was named in reference to Alpha Centauri, the star system closest to our solar system.

He announced the color at his last press conference at which

10:45 a.m .: In the footsteps of Thomas Pesquet at the Cité de l'Espace

As soon as the green light from the government has given the green light to the reopening of the places of culture, you will be able to follow the Alpha mission from the Cité de l'Espace, from where this live is produced.

The Toulouse establishment has specially built a control room to monitor, and often live, the Alpha Mission of Frenchman Thomas Pesquet.

Our colleague Hélène Ménal is showing you around it.

Toulouse: You will (soon) be able to track Thomas Pesquet's mission from the Cité de l'Espace https://t.co/jZFBG5pURB via @ 20minutes pic.twitter.com/U3OoQ5P0KI

- 20 Minutes Toulouse (@ 20minutestoul) April 16, 2021

10:40 a.m .: Meghan McArthur, in the same place as her husband

A pilot like him, she occupies the same place as her husband a little less than a year ago.

Astronaut Megan McArthur is indeed the wife of Robert Behnken, who flew in the SpaceX capsule on May 30 for Demo-2 ... 

As a reminder: Megan McArthur, experienced astronaut of # Crew2, and pilot of the Crew Dragon Endeavor, is also the wife of Robert Behnken ... one of the 2 men who flew in the same capsule on May 30, 2020 for Demo- 2. # Nasa #SpaceX https://t.co/oC8bOaqR1Z

- GoForLaunch 👩🏼‍🚀🧑🏻‍🚀🧑🏼‍🚀🧑🏼‍🚀 (@AuDelaDeLOrbite) April 17, 2021

10:30 a.m .: French astronaut Philippe Perrin remembers

And talk about his 8'48 in orbit ...

At @CiteEspace the French astronaut Philippe Perrin talks about the emotion aroused by the departure and what he will feel when it is put into orbit #MissionAlpha pic.twitter.com/bLH6tPhKqj

- 20 Minutes Toulouse (@ 20minutestoul) April 23, 2021

10:25 a.m .: SpaceX versus Soyuz

Thomas Pesquet is leaving this time aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon 2 capsule, after he had experienced his first trip in 2016 in a Soyuz capsule.

We played with the seven differences ...

What are the seven differences between a SpaceX and Soyuz space flight?

#MissionAlpha # Crew2 https://t.co/EXISkpflhL via @ 20minutes pic.twitter.com/6u0Ptj4tk9

- 20 Minutes Toulouse (@ 20minutestoul) April 23, 2021

10:10 am: Meagn McArthur is the one who has gone the furthest

On the other hand, her colleague Megan McArthur holds another record.

She went further than her little comrades, more than 570 km to repair the Hubble Space Telescope thanks to the Atlantis shuttle.

10:05 am: Thomas Pesquet, crew member with the most hours in orbit

Thomas Pesquet is the 10th Frenchman to go into space.

And this is the second time that he will join the ISS for a period of six months.

Even if at 43 years old he is the youngest of the crew, he is the one who cumulates the most flight hours on the International Space Station thanks to his 196 consecutive days on board, from November 17, 2016 to June 2, 2017.

9:40 a.m .: The capsule door is closed ...

It's not the time to have forgotten something

Closure of the Crew Dragon capsule hatch.

The crew is now alone on board. # MissionAlpha # Crew2 pic.twitter.com/qSQda7SMGe

- Cité de l'Espace (@CiteEspace) April 23, 2021

9:15 a.m .: Well settled aboard Crew2 for the big departure

Thomas Pesquet will obviously not be the only one to leave the cow floor for the ISS.

At his side in the Crew-Dragon 2 of Space X, two American astronauts, Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur, as well as the Japanese Akihiko Hoshide.

And none of the four are newbies, which is pretty reassuring.

They are all installed and will wait over an hour like this.

L-2: 30 The crew is installed aboard the Crew Dragon.



From left to right: @Thom_astro from @ esa (mission specialist), @NASA astronauts @Astro_Megan (pilot) and @astro_kimbrough (commander) and @Aki_Hoshide from @JAXA_en (mission specialist). # MissionAlpha pic.twitter.com/vpvqpitMhP

- ESA France (@ESA_fr) April 23, 2021

9:00 a.m .: Arrival at the top of the launch tower

In the elevator, we should still not exhaust the astronauts who will be damn shaken up soon.

Part of the Crew-2 crew arrived at the top of the launch tower by elevator.

But you still have to complete with a staircase😉 pic.twitter.com/yykbK8OVuW

- Cité de l'Espace (@CiteEspace) April 23, 2021

8:40 a.m .: Go in Tesla

It's part of the SpaceX package, we drive a Tesla to get to the launch pad

"Good luck Shane, Megan, Aki, and Thomas! Go Crew-2!"

As the convoy with NASA's @SpaceX Crew-2 astronauts drives to the pad at @NASAKennedy, some of those who helped make today's launch possible cheer them on: pic.twitter.com/CWaRrHYL8V

- NASA (@NASA) April 23, 2021

8:30 a.m .: Here we go, the four astronauts have left the Kennedy Space Center

It's called the “crew walk out”, at 8:30 am, the four astronauts, dressed in their famous suits, left the Neil Armstrong building at the Kennedy Space Center, heading for the launch pad before a final “goodbye” to their relatives.

Thomas Pesquet bids farewell to his companion, Anne Mottet.

It's time for the “virtual hug”.

The astronauts greeted their loved ones while respecting health precautions.

@Thom_astro greets his partner Anne Mottet.

#MissionAlpha # Crew2 pic.twitter.com/5Eljlibnah

- Cité de l'Espace (@CiteEspace) April 23, 2021

Hello everyone.

Welcome to this live dedicated to the takeoff of the Crew Dragon space shuttle, aboard which is our national Thomas Pesquet.

Ready to board the International Space Station (ISS) with us?

Let's go !

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