BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — Saturday on the Space Coast will be a day nearly a decade in the making.
On July 8, 2011 Space Shuttle Atlantis's three engines fired for the final time, taking four crew members from American soil into space.
Saturday will mark the first manned launch to the International Space Station from the U.S. since then, this time aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. A previous attempt to launch the rocket on Wednesday was scrubbed about 17 minutes before the window.
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Astronaut Douglas Hurley was on board in 2011 and will be on board again on Saturday for his second foray into space.
So great to be back @NASAKennedy! #LaunchAmerica https://t.co/f3aRDey2sd
— Col. Doug Hurley (@Astro_Doug) May 21, 2020
With him this time will be fellow American and veteran astronaut Robert Behnken.
“As an American, I’m just proud of what we will have accomplished and fly again on an American rocket from American soil, so I’ll be proud when we’ve accomplished it,” Behnken said.
The last time Behnken blasted off from Florida was on the Space Shuttle Endeavour in 2010.
In that mission, Behnken took part in three spacewalks.
This time, both men will lead a new era of American spaceflight.
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"It is really neat, and the biggest testament to that is my 10-year old son telling me how cool I am now," Hurley said.
The Crew Dragon has arrived to Launch Complex 39A! 🐉
— NASA's Kennedy Space Center (@NASAKennedy) May 18, 2020
This spacecraft will carry @AstroBehnken and @Astro_Doug to the @Space_Station when it launches atop a @SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on May 27, at 4:33 p.m. ET: https://t.co/yvfOCG49U8 pic.twitter.com/Tdtdaucdef
For Hurley and Behnken, space is very much a family business. Both men are married to astronauts.
Hurley is married to Karen Nyberg, who flew on the Space Shuttle Discovery.
Behnken is married to K. Megan McArthur, an oceanographer who flew on the final mission to the Hubble Space Telescope.
But the bonds go deeper.
Hurley and Behnken were also in each other's weddings.
And, while Behnken came out of the Air Force, and Hurley came out of the Marine Corps, they both were selected by NASA in July 2010.
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Now they will return to space, together, with a mission patch designed by Hurley's nephew.
“The ultimate goal for us as astronauts and test pilots is just to go up there and prove out the vehicle, prove out the mission,” Hurley said.
Behnken said he is often asked if he’s afraid of boarding a rocket and being hurled into space. But he said his fears are different to what people may imagine.
“I think in our experience, we’re most afraid of making a mistake and taking away from the success of the mission and the people who have worked so hard to make it possible," he said.
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