Time.news – At 9.52 this morning, the SpaceX Crew Dragon Freedom spacecraft, with the Falcon 9 carrier, took off from launch pad 39 A at Kennedy Space Center, Florida, kicking off Expedition 68 and the Minerva mission .
Purpose of the expedition, that of bring four astronauts, including the Italian Samantha Cristoforetti, to the International Space Station (ISS). The astronaut, born in Milan in 1977, was the first Italian woman in the ESA crews, and today she makes her second flight to the ISS.
The previous experience dates back to 2014, when on board the Russian Soyuz spacecraft he had reached the orbiting station, staying there for 199 days, 16 hours and 42 minutes. The Expedition 68 crew consists of vehicle commander Kjell N. Lindgren, pilot Robert Hines and mission specialists Samantha Cristoforetti and Jessica Watkins.
After a series of postponements, due to the need to carry out investigations and unfavorable weather conditions, the astronauts entered the spacecraft with the futuristic spacesuits designed by SpaceX and carried out the take-off procedures. It will now take about 30 hours to reach the ISS, where the astronauts will join colleagues already on the station.
In the course of the mission, which is expected it will last about six months, the astronauts will have to carry out about 150 experiments. Six of these tests were designed by Italian scientists and researchers, affiliated to the Italian Institute of Technology, the University of Rome La Sapienza, the Council for Research in Agriculture and the Analysis of Agricultural Economics (Crea), all ‘University of Tor Vergata, of the National Research Council, the University of Trieste and the National Institute of Nuclear Physics (Infn).
Some experiments have been designed to study the effects of weightlessness on human tissues, the reproductive system and the auditory system. Others fall into the fields of biology and materials science. The long-term goal of the research is to understand more deeply the consequences of staying in space on the organism, in view of longer and more lasting journeys to Mars.
In the next six months, the crew will then have to carry out a series of activities, and for AstroSamantha, the name of Cristoforetti on social networks, the possibility of spacewalks, or EVAs, is not excluded. One of the astronauts’ tasks will in fact be to complete the installation of the European Robotic Arm, the new robotic arm of the Space Station.
Very active on social media, Samantha Cristoforetti explained that she brought with her special objects to make videos for the entertainment of the youngest. Within hours of the lift-off, AstroSamantha celebrated her 45th birthday, and wrote on her profiles that she received “the best candle ever”.
Long birthday this year! We started last night with the “ultimate dinner” meal (it was already the 26th in Europe!) & many treats from the fantastic team here in quarantine. More cakes today & more birthday wishes, including some fantastic ones from my launch guest friends and…
— Samantha Cristoforetti (@AstroSamantha) April 26, 2022