CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.-- A new crew rocketed toward the International Space Station on Friday to replace the astronauts who returned to Earth early in NASA's first medical evacuation.SpaceX launched the replacements as soon as possible at NASA’s request, sending the U.S., French and Russian astronauts on an expected eight- to nine-month mission stretching until fall.The four should arrive at the orbiting lab Saturday, filling the vacancies left by their evacuated colleagues last month and bringing the space station back to full staff.NASA had to put spacewalks on hold and deferred other duties while awaiting the arrival of Americans Meir and Jack Hathaway, France’s Sophie Adenot and Russia’s Andrei Fedyaev.
They'll join three other astronauts — one American and two Russians — who kept the space station running the past month.Satisfied with medical procedures already in place, NASA ordered no extra checkups for the crew ahead of liftoff and no new diagnostic equipment was packed.An ultrasound machine already up there for research went into overdrive Jan.7 when used on the ailing crew member.
NASA has not revealed the ill astronaut’s identity or health issue.All four returning astronauts went straight to the hospital after splashing down in the Pacific near San Diego.It was the first time in 65 years of human spaceflight that NASA cut short a mission for medical reasons.In preparation for moon and Mars trips where health care will be even more challenging, the new arrivals will test a filter designed to turn drinking water into emergency IV fluid, try out an ultrasound system that relies on artificial intelligence and augmented reality instead of experts on the ground, and perform ultrasound scans on their jugular veins in a blood clot study.They also will demonstrate their moon-landing skills in a simulated test drawing extra attention because of the impending launch of four astronauts to the moon on Artemis II, humanity's first lunar voyage in more than half a century.Hathaway, like Adenot, is new to space, while Meir and Fedyaev are making their second station trip.On her first mission in 2019, Meir took part in the first all-female spacewalk.
The other half of that spacewalk, Christina Koch, is among the four Artemis II astronauts waiting to fly around the moon as early as March.A ship-to-ship radio linkup is planned between the two crews.Popular ReadsMinneapolis live updates: Minneapolis surge ending, Homan saysFeb 12, 4:06 PMMinneapolis live updates: ICE arrest powers expanded, memo saysJan 31, 5:23 PMNancy Guthrie live updates: New details about suspect releasedFeb 12, 6:31 PMMeir wasn’t sure astronauts would return to the moon during her career.“Now we’re right here on the precipice of the Artemis II mission,” she said ahead of liftoff.
“The fact that they will be in space at the same time as us … it’s so cool to be an astronaut now, it’s so exciting.”NASA’s new administrator Jared Isaacman said following Friday's liftoff that testing continues at the Artemis pad, where the Space Launch System moon rocket awaits liftoff.A practice fueling last week unleashed hydrogen fuel leaks.Two seals have since been replaced and a mini fueling conducted.___The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
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