Latest news with #Cardman
Yahoo
28-03-2025
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NASA astronaut who gave up seat for Starliner crew takes command of SpaceX Crew-11 flight to ISS
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Zena Cardman didn't have to wait too long to get a seat on another spacecraft after being removed from SpaceX's Crew-9 mission last year. The NASA astronaut is one of the four members of SpaceX's Crew-11 mission to the International Space Station (ISS), agency officials announced on Thursday (March 27). Cardman will command Crew-11, which could launch as soon as July. Joining her are NASA colleague Mike Fincke, Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui and Oleg Platonov of the Russian space agency Roscosmos. Fincke will serve as Crew-11 pilot, and Yui and Platonov will be mission specialists. Cardman was originally assigned to SpaceX's Crew-9 mission. But in late August of last year, NASA removed her and fellow agency astronaut Stephanie Wilson from the manifest, leaving two empty seats aboard the Crew-9 Dragon capsule for its Sept. 28 launch. Those seats were kept open for NASA's Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who arrived at the ISS in June on the first-ever crewed flight of Boeing's Starliner capsule. Starliner experienced thruster problems and helium leaks on its journey to the orbiting lab, and NASA ultimately decided to bring the spacecraft home uncrewed, which happened in early September. Wilmore and Williams were retasked to a long-duration ISS mission and put on Crew-9 for the trip back to Earth, which ended with a dolphin-attended splashdown on March 18. NASA has not yet announced a spaceflight reassignment for Wilson. Related: How the NASA astronauts bumped from SpaceX's Crew-9 watched their ride launch without them Related Stories: — SpaceX launches relief crew for NASA's beleaguered Starliner astronauts on ISS (video) — NASA moves up return date for Boeing Starliner astronauts after swapping SpaceX Dragon spacecraft — 'We just ran out of time': Boeing Starliner astronauts on why their spaceship returned to Earth without them Crew-11 will be the first spaceflight for both Cardman and Platonov, who were selected by their respective space agencies in 2017 and 2018. Fincke already has three trips to the ISS under his belt, racking up a total of 382 days in space over those missions, which occurred in 2004, 2008 and 2011. Crew-11 is a reassignment for Fincke as well; he was previously put on Starliner-1, the Boeing capsule's first operational, long-duration crewed mission to the ISS for NASA. It's unclear when Crew-1 will fly, however, given the issues Starliner experienced on last year's mission. Yui served as a flight engineer on ISS Expeditions 44 and 45, staying aboard the station for 142 days from November 2014 through July 2015, according to NASA.
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Science
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SpaceX's Crew 11 to space station named: 2 from NASA, plus Russia, Japan
March 28 (UPI) -- NASA on Friday announced the four crew members of Crew-11 who will be part of Space X's next trip to the International Space Station no earlier than July from Florida. The crew will include NASA astronauts Zena Cardman, the commander, and pilot Mike Fincke, as well as two mission specialists: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Kimiya Yui and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov. Cardman was one of two astronauts reassigned from Crew-9 after their seats were used to bring Boeing astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams back to Earth on March 18 along with NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov. Wilmore and Williams were aboard the initial Boeing Starliner that launched in June 2024. Because of problems with the capsule after docking at ISS, it went back to Earth uncrewed and they were assigned to a SpaceX return flight. Crew-10 launched on March 14 with NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Takuya Onishi and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov to relieve the Crew-9 members. The latest mission will be the 11th crew rotation with SpaceX to the station as part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program. The missions launch from Kennedy Space Center. "They will conduct scientific investigations and technology demonstrations to help prepare humans for future missions to the Moon, as well as benefit people on Earth," NASA said in a news release. The space station has been in operation since November 2000 and is scheduled to be deorbited at the end of 2030. Aside from SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets, space shuttles and Russia's Soyuz took crew members to the space station. Cardman, 37, was selected as a NASA astronaut in 2017, and will participate in her first spaceflight, including her initial spacewalk. At the time of selection, she had begun pursuing a doctorate in geosciences at Penn State. Fincke, 58, originally was scheduled to fly aboard Boeing's Starliner-1 in March 2024. He has logged 382 days in space and nine spacewalks during ISS Expedition 9 in 2004, Expedition 18 in 2008 and Space Transportation System 134 in 2011, which was the final flight of space shuttle Endeavour. Fincke, who became an astronaut in 1996, is a retired U.S. Air Force colonel. Yui, 54, will participate in his second trip to the space station after 142 days in space. He was selected as a JAXA astronaut in 2009. Platonov, 38, will be on his first spaceflight since his selection in 2018 by Roscosmos He became a test cosmonaut in 2021.
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Science
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Williamsburg astronaut announced as Commander for upcoming ISS mission
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (WAVY) — NASA recently announced the four-team SpaceX crew for its upcoming International Space Station mission, including one woman from Williamsburg. According to a release, the crew will consist of NASA astronauts Commander Zena Cardman, from Williamsburg, Va., Pilot Mike Fincke, from Emsworth, Pa., JAXA astronaut Mission Specialist Kimiya Yui, from Japan and Roscosmos cosmonaut Mission Specialist Oleg Platonov, from Russia. Platonov and Yui are expected to join the crew by July. This mission will be Cardman's first spaceflight after being assigned as a NASA astronaut in 2017. Cardman, who primarily focuses on subsurface environments, graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a bachelor's degree in biology and a master's in marine sciences. Prior to her selection, Cardman was pursuing a doctorate in Geosciences. Cardmen, who is also a graduate of Bruton High School in Williamsburg, trained as a commander on SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft and worked alongside NASA on several field tests, including Pavilion Lake and BASALT. The mission will consist of a long-duration science expedition onboard the ISS, and is the 11th crew rotation with SpaceX to the ISS. While onboard, the crew will conduct both scientific investigations and demonstrations to help prepare for future human missions to the moon. More information about the mission, as well as the crew, can be found on NASA's website here. Continue to check for updates. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
