On April 12, 1961, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin claimed the title of the first human to ever enter the realm of outer space. He spent around 90 minutes in his capsule before plummeting safely back down to the Earth. It was at that moment, that we as a species knew, that spaceflight would never again be the same. Just 8 short years later, the Americans sent the first men to the Moon, further advancing our capabilities in space. And in 1998, the International Space Station was built through a cooperation between multiple different agencies across the globe. 

For half a century, spaceflight has been steadily advancing as newer and stronger rockets help to propel probes to the farthest reaches of our Sun’s gravity. Newer designs and technology are paving the way to one day making humans a space-faring species. What used to be science fiction is now, step by step, becoming a reality. 

But an important step toward this future was taken on May 31, 2020. 

This date marks a historic launch that opened up the doors and brings the universe one step closer to us all. The launch of SpaceX’s newly designed Dragon spacecraft marks the first docking at the ISS of a commercial spacecraft. This act alone opened the doors to multiple other private companies as more and more eyes turn towards the stars above. Sights are being set on the commercial use of space for tourists, and the boundaries between the cosmos and private companies have been further blurred.

Additionally, this historic launch is the first launch to occur from Cape Canaveral, Florida since the shutdown of NASA’s commercial human spaceflight program in 2011.  This launch marks a new era in spaceflight as crew carrying shuttles can once again start to take off from Florida, but this time, it will be the private companies leading the way.

The Falcon 9 spacecraft is crucial to our understanding of rocketry as it is the first reusable rocket that has been designed and launched. The benefit of having a reusable rocket is, of course, the considerably less cost that comes along with it. But on a more scientific note, being able to get a rocket back after its journey into space is crucial to improve its design and make the entire journey both quicker and more importantly, safer for the astronauts on board.

On this special flight were two American astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley. 

Behnken has two bachelor’s degrees in physics and mechanical engineering from Washington University in St.Louis as well as a masters and doctorate degree in mechanical engineering from Caltech. Behnken entered the Air Force Test Pilot School in California, which makes him a perfect candidate for the test run of the Dragon spacecraft. After finishing his astronaut training, Behnken was selected into the astronaut corps at NASA and eventually went on to become the Chief Astronaut for three years. Behnken has also spent over 700 hours in space and around 37 hours conducting spacewalks outside the space station.

Hurley graduated with a bachelors of science in civil engineering from TK and became the second lieutenant in the US Marine Corps and a year later, entered in flight training at The Basic School in Quantico, Virginia. After his training, he was also deployed three times to the Western Pacific. A few years after that, Hurley was chosen to go to the United States Naval Test Pilot School where we then became a test pilot. He was selected into the astronaut corps the same year as his friend Bob Behnken and spent nearly 30 days in space. Additionally, he was part of NASA’s final spaceflight mission, Atlantis, before the program was shut down. 

Together, these two astronauts have made history and opened up a path that leads to new opportunities in the area of spaceflight. They have inspired millions of people across the country and even the world as Humanity continues its journey towards the stars.

Resources:
SPACE.COM, SPACE.COM