I hope everyone had a wonderful, safe, and socially distanced Memorial Day Holiday!
Now to prepare for the historic event tomorrow that will mark the first launch of American astronauts into space in an American rocket from an American launchpad since the shuttle program was retired in 2011.
The crew for this mission are Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley:
They will be launching from Launch Complex 39A in a SpaceX Crew Dragon carried into orbit by a Falcon 9 rocket. The lift-off is scheduled for 4:33 p.m. EDT, Wednesday, May 27.
For special access to additional information, register for a virtual ticket. Once you have your ticket, you’ll have access to the Launch America site, a website full of all manner of virtual goodies.
There are virtual tours of Launch Complex 39A and Launch Complex 41, from which the Boeing Starliner will launch, try out astronaut training, see the inside of the Crew Dragon, and much more with VR 360.
There a game where one can practice flying the SpaceX Crew Dragon and docking with the ISS. Here’s another game where you choose your crew and capsule, build your rocket, launch it, fly to the ISS, and finally dock.
The incredible educators at NASA have also provided all the resources needed for you to create your own capsule docking game in Scratch or Snap, including sprites of the Earth, SpaceX Crew Dragon, Boeing Starliner, and the dock area of the ISS! Everything needed can be found in the Crew Orbital Docking Simulator (CODing Sim) Manual. What could be more fun than playing and sharing a game you created yourself? And once you’ve docked your capsule with the ISS, you can move on to Mars, and create a new Rover game there, with the ‘Exploring Mars With Scratch‘ activity. (I’ll try to code these games and and add the links to my completed games later this week…so come back and check them out. Tell mewhat you think.)
There are also all kinds of apps and downloads, and ways to connect and participate through all forms of social media, for those on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and more.
After you’ve checked out all the great info on this site, you can go to the other Launch America site, and discover even more!
I hope everyone can log in to the site, or visit NASA’s YouTube live site, or NASA’s channel on tv tomorrow, and watch history happen!
Best of luck and good fortune Colonel Behnken, Colonel Hurley, NASA, SpaceX, and everyone who has had a part in rebuilding America’s Space Program!!
Current List of Online Resources for those sheltering in place.
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