SpaceX Crew-10 had an “alien” encounter after docking on the Worldwide Area Station (ISS) early Sunday morning.
“Russian cosmonaut Ivan Vagner jokingly wore an alien masks whereas welcoming crew from the SpaceX Dragon capsule, which docked on the ISS at 12:04 a.m., roughly 29 hours after launching at 7:03 p.m. on Friday from NASA’S Kennedy Area Heart in Florida,” Fox Information reported. The SpaceX crew is on a mission to rescue two NASA astronauts who’ve been stranded in orbit for 9 months.
Vagner might be seen on video floating round sporting an alien masks, together with a hoodie, pants, and socks, throughout a “lighthearted second” whereas ISS crew ready the capsule for deboarding, a NASA spokesperson informed the outlet.
“NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Company) astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov entered the Worldwide Area Station shortly after opening the hatches between the area station and the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft at 1:35 a.m. EDT,” NASA stated in a press release.
Astronaut Suni Williams in the end opened the hatch and the SpaceX crew floated in and hugged and greeted the Expedition 72 crew after Vagner’s extraterrestrial impression.
“It was an exquisite day. Nice to see our pals arrive,” Williams informed Mission Management.
Williams and astronaut Butch Wilmore are schedule to point out the SpaceX crew across the ISS earlier than they return dwelling. Their mission was solely speculated to final for one week following the launch of Boeing’s first astronaut flight. Nonetheless, the pair have been caught on the ISS after NASA introduced the Boeing Starliner again empty, citing issues with the spacecraft.
Crew-9 commander Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov are additionally set to depart the station early Wednesday morning, earlier than touchdown off of Florida’s coast, based on the report.