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Commercial Crew Program Expands Opportunities

Artist’s concept of the Boeing CST-100 Starliner in flight.

Image Credit: NASA

NASA’s Commercial Crew Program is driving the expansion of the U.S. economy into space while supporting the agency’s journey to Mars.

In September 2014, NASA announced the selection of two private companies to develop commercial capabilities for transporting astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS). Since then, The Boeing Company (Boeing) and Space Explorations Technologies (SpaceX) have been working steadily to develop a new generation of crew-rated spacecraft. Boeing is focused on the CST-100 Starliner, which will hold four astronauts and can be reused 10 times. SpaceX is pursuing the Crew Dragon, a design based on the Dragon cargo spacecraft currently servicing the ISS.

With initial missions planned for 2017, four NASA astronauts were identified to begin training to fly into low Earth orbit (LEO) on the new spacecraft: Robert Behnken, Sunita “Suni” Williams, Eric Boe, and Douglas Hurley. The four “American space pioneers,” as they have been called by NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, are partnering with Boeing and SpaceX to develop their crew transportation vehicles and systems. The companies’ contracts with NASA specify that at least one crewed flight test must be performed with one or more NASA astronauts on board before the spacecraft can begin flying crew to and from the ISS. The astronauts will lend their expert perspectives to enhance the development process and facilitate the test flights.

“From our perspective, it’s really important that we have as many people as possible with some spaceflight experience to help inform the designs that the two partners are coming up with. So both SpaceX and Boeing have a lot of great experience, but our role is to help them anticipate some challenges they might face when they actually get these vehicles into space, make sure they fit well into the way we have the International Space Station operating today,” said Behnken in an interview with Tabatha Thompson from NASA’s Office of Communication.

All four astronauts are also experienced test pilots, a skill that is highly relevant to their work on the commercial spacecraft. “[T]here are some fundamentals that you learn at test pilot school, and part of that is approaching the envelope in a step-wise process. And I think that’s sort of what we bring to the table. In any spaceflight or aircraft flight, you’re reaching and reaching and reaching farther and trying to understand how this machine is going to work. So I think part of that is understanding how things fly and putting that experience into these spacecraft right here. Part of it is understanding the risk that you’re taking when you’re advancing along those edges,” said Williams.

“For me, as a graduate of test pilot school, it really is an exercise in risk management. With new vehicles, we’ll have to make decisions for when is good enough and when we actually have to make changes for safety or for other reasons as we go forward….[T]hat methodology that’s instilled in the four of us from that time we spent at the test pilot schools I think is really going to serve us well going forward,” said Behnken.

By creating a U.S.-based system for transporting crew to LEO, the Commercial Crew Program will end NASA’s sole reliance on Russian transport to the ISS. But the benefits of the program extend farther. It will also enhance the affordability of space travel by reducing the cost of flying crew to LEO and support the American economy.

“It’s an important step on our Journey to Mars, and for President Obama’s ambitious plan to once again launch U.S. astronauts into space from U.S. soil and to create good-paying American jobs in the process—350 American companies across 35 states are working toward this goal,” Bolden stated on his blog.

The program, he believes, is also an important contribution to the next generation of Americans. “Our goal is to give them a future where Americans are pushing further into the solar system at the very same time that our nation strengthens our leadership here at home.”

Read an APPEL News article about NASA’s selection of commercial crew partners.

Read an APPEL News article about the benefits of the Commercial Crew Program.

View a video showing the four astronauts discuss their roles in facilitating human spaceflight on commercial vehicles.

Watch a video about the steps NASA is taking to prepare for the journey to Mars and the contributions of the Commercial Crew Program.

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