A SpaceX capsule docks at the International Space Station with the first black woman who will be part of a crew on a long-term mission | Science

Arrival takes place two days after the team leaves to return to Earth.

The Dragon capsule arrived less than 16 hours after its launch in Florida, at a launch center NASA in Cape Canaveral.

This was one of SpaceX’s fastest flights to the International Space Station.

The capsule’s “stop” maneuver took place 420 kilometers from the Pacific Ocean, according to NASA.

• Kjell Lindgren, 49, flight leader for NASA;
• Bob Hines, 47, mission pilot for NASA;
• Jessica Watkins, 33, senior specialist in NASA;
• Samantha Cristoforetti, 45, Italian European Space Agency.

Watkins is the first black woman to join the International Space Station crew.

After tilting the capsule onto the station, the team members began checking for leaks and checking the passage pressure between the capsule and the station. This is the preparation for opening the entrance hatch.

The station already has seven passengers. Four of them (three Americans and one German) will return to Earth in early May. In addition to these, there are three Russian cosmonauts.

This is the fourth team of astronauts that SpaceX has flown to the space station since 2020.

Crew-4 on the space station

Crew-4 is expected to carry out hundreds of scientific experiments, including ongoing research into growing soilless plants in space. Another experiment will be to develop an artificial human retina, taking advantage of the microgravity environment of the International Space Station to help form thin protein films, layer by layer.

The New York University scientist said the technique “could eventually be used to replace damaged photoreceptor cells in the eye and possibly restore meaningful vision for the millions of people with degenerative retinal disease.” NASA Heidi Paris.

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