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The AX-4 commander Peggy Whitson (smiling, behind NASA Astronaut Anne McClain) is enjoying downtime with his colleagues at the International Space Station. | Credit: NASA/Jonny Kim
Like many learners for a lifetime, Astronaut Peggy Whitson says he found a way to grow their space skills – even after 695 days in orbit.
Peggy WhitsonCommander Axiom spaceThe fourth flight of the team to International space station (ISS), says he has found new prospects for visiting their non-land “home”, helping three newcomers who accompanied it last month AX-4 mission.
With the help of new astronauts for 2.5 weeks, ”the whole experience you had when you were there for the first time,” said Space.com at a space.com press conference on Friday (August 1). “It’s always great to survive a little bit for the first time.”
AX-4 launched from NASA Kennedy Space Center June 26th. In Florida. The mission ended after 19 days with the Pacific splashes on the coast of California on July 15.
Ax-4 SpaceX The crew’s dragon spacecraft named Grace was led by Whitson, former NASA Astronaut and Currently Axiom Director of Human SpaceFlight. “I was there for a few days,” she joked at Space.com when she asked to reflect on the cumulative non-Earth time, which is an American record.
Among the AX-4 newcomers was pilot Shubhanshu Shux Shuklla of India. Shukla is one of the four astronauts selected for the Indian Space Research Organization (Isro) The first mission of man’s space flights, Gaganyaanwhich is planned to fly Once upon a time 2027;
“I gained knowledge, it includes the history of people’s space flight missions,” the first Indian astronaut said at Friday’s briefing to visit ISS. “Success has already begun to show where [Indian] Children have already begun to ask questions like “How can we become astronauts?” And “How can we be part of that?” I think this is also a great success of this mission. ”
Axiom-4 crew:
Commander Peggy Whitson
Pilot Shubhanshu Shux shuklla
Mission Specialist Sławosz Suave Uznanki-Wiśniewski
Mission Specialist Tiboras Kapu
Axiom Space AX-4 Mission to International Space Station crew. From left to right: Mission specialist Tibor Kapu; Pilot Shubhanshu Shukla, Commander Peggy Whitson and mission specialist Sławosz Uznański. | Credit: SpaceX
Other AX-4 flyers for the first time were mission specialists. Polish Sławoszo Suave Uznanki-Wiśniewski is European Space Agency Astronaut Stock Program. Tibor is a member of the Hungarian (Hunor) program. Both were also the first of their countries to visit ISS.
Uznanki-Wiśniewski said the ISS expedition 73 astronauts, who live at the station for several months, organized a special experience shortly after the AX-4 arrival.
“We first got a tour of the station and then asked me to close my eyes. I was lowered Domewhere the NASA crew asked me to open my eyes again. And there was: the first “Fupola” gaze was my first time when I came back to see the land, see Poland … I will never forget that moment. The land is large and very blue. ”
He said he was grateful for his time in orbit and for the support team he has at home. “I have missed my family and friends most in recent years,” he said, noting that the mission surveys mean he would not return to Hungary until mid-August.
“Obviously, there were some rough amendments; preparation for such a mission does not always have only good days. There are also a few more difficult,” he continued, saying that his personal relationship helped him to continue. “These are people, exactly when you talk to them, they give you energy.”
The AX-4 Quartet has executed 60 scientific experiments and technology demonstrations in orbit by setting an experiment record while performing public information events.
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Media reports state that other Axiom Space efforts called AX-5 will be launched around 2026. May Or June, depending on the ISS planning. That crew was not named; However, NASA requires all private SpaceFlight missions to be led by a withdrawal agency astronaut.
One option may be the All-UK mission. 2023 UK Space Agency and Axiom signed an agreement Potential commercially supported missions are expected to be sent to four UK astronauts. After retiring, UK Astronaut Tim Peake joined Axiom in 2024. as a strategic advisorin order to turn this mission into reality.
Axiom is also planning to assemble and operate its free -flying space station as early as 2028, to monitor the contract signed with NASA 2020, as part of the agency’s efforts to finally replace the decades -old ISS complex. Axiom accelerated their station’s time zone By two years last December, replacing the orbit modules to run the modules.