Meet Bob Behnken and Douglas Hurley, both experienced NASA space shuttle astronauts will launch to the International Space Station on May 27, heralding the return of American astronauts flying on American rockets, rather than the Russian Soyuz.
You'll want to watch this moment in history! If you are in Florida, you'll see the marvelous 'rockets red glare' rise to the heavens at 4:33 p.m. EDT, and watch online at www.NASA.gov/NTV, with coverage starting about an hour beforehand. Near the Kennedy Space Center, here's the best viewing locations.
Learn more about this incredible mission at NASA and SpaceX.
If the launch is delayed, such as for technical or weather issues, the launch may be rescheduled for the next day or when issues have been corrected.
America is in a new space race with China, and regaining our own crew launch capability is vital for strategic reasons. China intends to dominate space in the same way they are planning and attempting to do in the South China Sea, Hong Kong and even Taiwan, and their goals include declaring 'vertical sovereignty' where no satellites, space stations etc. could fly in orbit over China, and to similarly declare ownership of the only area of the Moon suitable for long-term habitation, the water-ice-rich south pole.
President Trump has restored our return to the moon by 2024, which I advised the Trump campaign and White House was essential, which will not only help secure access to the Moon by the free world, but also spark a tremendous birth and growth of commercial and tourist enterprises on the Moon, as well as giving us the experience needed to go to Mars in the 2030s.
Additionally, President Trump and NASA have written the "Artemis Accords," which all free nations should agree to and which will be required of all our space exploration partners. These accords represent the establishment of the rule of law in space, with rules to protect private enterprise and property in space and on the Moon and Mars.
Because of Democrat obstructionism in the House of Representatives (and the possibility a Democrat president could again cancel the return to the Moon--and award the high frontier to China's rule), it is vital to keep lobbying the House Science committee to keep the Artemis lunar program on schedule for 2024 and to not enact a NASA authorization or appropriation with poison pills and cuts to derail our progress and the essential timetable.
The Coalition to Save Manned Space Exploration has been meeting with Congress this year on these urgent priorities, often explaining the largely-unreported strategic aspects of our civilian and commercial space programs.
The future of access and commercialization of orbital space and the Moon must belong to all, not just China.
(Photo credit SpaceX)
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