NASA pilot and astronaut Robert Hines said the spaceflight of a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft, the first mission for both himself and the spacecraft Freedom, was an “amazing” experience that stood out even after a career. with flying fighter jets. The mission was launched into space early Wednesday (April 27th) and docked less than 16 hours later. “One of the things we said in fighter jets is low, the faster you go, the faster you will get there,” said Hines, a U.S. Air Force fighter pilot, during a welcoming ceremony Thursday (April 28th). “This is exactly the opposite,” he said of the launch. “The higher we went, the faster we went … and it was just unbelievable [rocket] the ride, especially in the second stage was really impressive. It was awesome.”
European astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti arrives at the International Space Station with her Crew-4 teammates. (Image: ESA) NASA 4-crew commander and astronaut Kjell Lindgren also praised the performance of the new spacecraft. “The Freedom capsule was a really smooth path and the Gs were pretty amazing,” he said, referring to the G-forces or Earth-gravity forces experienced by astronauts during launch. While enjoying the spacecraft, the Crew-4 said they enjoyed the view of space from the Dragon, which whetted their appetite for several months of observation from the space station. NASA rookie astronaut Jessica Watkins, the first black woman to make a long mission, praised the view as the crew reached the space station. “We could see the space station a little bit from afar, but it was extremely bright with the solar panels shining towards us,” he said. “The Earth below is just beautiful. We are very excited to be here and to see more of these amazing views.” The multinational Expedition 67 crew now includes three Russians, six Americans and a German astronaut and an Italian astronaut upon the arrival of Crew-4 astronauts. This team of astronauts and cosmonauts will work closely together in the coming weeks to incorporate new arrivals into space operations. Samantha Cristoforetti, a veteran European Space Agency astronaut, thanked her colleagues for their patience as the 4-crew adapts to space life. “They do a lot of work with us, as we have our ‘space legs’, so thank you from the bottom of my heart for this wonderful welcome.” Follow Elizabeth Howell on Twitter @howellspace. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or on Facebook.
