Space

Giant Leaps Start at Johnson for NASA's SpaceX Crew-9 Leader Nick Hague

.As the center of human spaceflight, NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston contains an assortment of distinct responsibilities as well as opportunities. Those consist of being actually the home of NASA's rocketeer corps.Some of those astronauts-- Nick Hague-- is now readying to release to the International Spaceport Station alongside Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov on the ninth rotational mission under NASA's Business Workers Program. This will definitely be the third launch as well as second goal to the space station for Hague, that was picked as a NASA rocketeer in 2013 and also has spent 203 times in space.Hague was born as well as raised in Kansas however has actually crisscrossed the nation for university and also profession. He gained levels coming from the USA Sky Troop Academy in Colorado and also the Massachusetts Principle of Modern Technology in Cambridge, and also he joined the USA Aviation service Exam Fly University at Edwards Air Force Base in The Golden State. Hague's military occupation has taken him to New Mexico, Colorado, Virginia, and also Washington, D.C., as well as consisted of a five-month release to Iraq. Hague moved coming from the Aviation service to the United State Space Force in 2020 after working as the Room Pressure's supervisor of test and also assessment at the Pentagon.No stranger to new areas, Hague strongly recalls making his initial trip to Johnson when he was actually interviewing to join NASA's rocketeer corps. "I possessed no tip what to count on, and it was a little mind-boggling. I recognized every person was actually enjoying me and evaluating me," he stated. "The good news is, although I wasn't chosen after that, I got one more possibility a handful of years later. It's a rather magical spot.".Hague accomplished his rocketeer instruction in July 2015 as component of NASA's 21st rocketeer course. He was the initial rocketeer from that group to be appointed to an objective, which launched in October 2018 but was aborted quickly after departure. His upcoming spaceflight developed in 2019, when he participated in 3 of his schoolmates-- NASA astronauts Jessica Meir, Christina Koch, and Andrew Morgan-- aboard the International Spaceport Station for Expeditions 59 as well as 60.Hague has created lots of moments at Johnson, however one that stands apart is his adventure working onsite amid the 2013 authorities closure. "I'm active-duty armed forces so I still pertained to work," he discussed. "I remember being actually onsite and also the facility being actually fully empty. Being able to use around an unfilled grounds on the free-range bikes-- it was serene and unique." It was actually additionally a preview of what lots of Johnson employees experienced throughout the astronomical as well as exactly how NASA sustains nonstop help for spaceflight functions no matter mitigating circumstances.Hague now expects another journey to low Earth track. NASA as well as SpaceX officials currently plan to introduce the Crew-9 objective no earlier than Wednesday, Sept. 25. The crew will lift off coming from Introduce Intricate 40 from the Peninsula Canaveral Room Force Terminal in Fla aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 spacecraft and also Dragon space capsule.Hague and also Gorbonov are going to become members of the Trip 72 staff aboard the terminal. They will certainly join NASA rocketeers Butch Wilmore, Suni Williams, as well as Don Pettit, as well as Roscosmos astronauts Alexey Ovchinin as well as Ivan Vagner, and also are going to devote about 6 months conducting clinical research study in microgravity and also completing a stable of functional tasks just before coming back home.More particulars concerning the mission and staff can be located through complying with the Crew-9 weblog, @commercial_crew on X, or industrial workers on Facebook. You may additionally observe @astrohague on X and Instagram.