A new era of human spaceflight is set to begin as American
astronauts once again launch on an American rocket from American soil to the
International Space Station as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program…and there
is a local connection. NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley will
fly on SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft, lifting off on a Falcon 9 rocket at
4:33 p.m. May 27. Hurley will be the spacecraft commander for Demo-2,
responsible for activities such as launch, landing and recovery. He was
selected as an astronaut in 2000 and has completed two spaceflights. The New
York native was born in Endicott but considers Apalachin in Tioga County, NY
his hometown. More details can be found HERE.
