Hi everybody and welcome back to the Elon Musk podcast, where we cover all things SpaceX, Tesla and beyond. Today, we're going to be discussing the recent arrival of Crew 7 to the International Space Station, a landmark moment in the realm of international cooperation and space exploration. CREW 7 comprises astronauts and cosmonauts from NASA, the European Space Agency, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, and Ras Cosmos.
They touch down on the space station aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, aptly named Endurance, and in today's episode, we'll unpack the details of their mission, explore the docking process, and assess what their arrival heralds for the future of global cooperation in space. But before we venture further into the cosmos, let's hear from our sponsor and today's episode is generously supported by
starshipshirts.com. If you're a space aficionado or simply love SpaceX, head over to starshipshirts.com for high quality, quickly delivered SpaceX inspired merchandise. Now before we discuss the Crew 7 mission, let's set the stage by talking a bit about the Falcon 9 rocket and the Dragon spacecraft. Both are engineered by SpaceX Falcon 9. The two stage rocket has truly
revolutionized space travel. Designed to be reusable, this innovation drastically cuts the cost of sending payloads, whether they be satellites, supplies or humans, into space. In the first stage of the Falcon 9, rocket is capable of returning to Earth and landing vertically, allowing it to be used for future missions. This isn't just a step forward, it's a giant leap for the economics of space exploration. Now the Dragon spacecraft specifically for human crude
missions. We're dealing with the Crude Dragon, an autonomous spacecraft designed to transport astronauts to and from the International Space Station. And the Dragon spacecraft is unique in many ways. It's one of the few spacecraft with touchscreen controls instead of a plethora of switches and buttons and crew. Dragon also comes with life support systems to ensure the astronauts are kept in optimal conditions during their voyage.
Let's not forget Dragon was the first commercially built crude spacecraft to go to the ISS. Now, the Dragon spacecraft, Endurance successfully docked with the International Space Station at 9:16 AM Eastern on a recent Sunday, and the ISS was orbiting 261 miles above Queensland, Australia at the
time. And after docking, Crew 7 and the current inhabitants of the ISS began the meticulous process of conducting standard leak checks and pressurization, which culminated in the Dragons hatch opening at 10:59 AM.
This marks a significant point in the mission, as Crew 7 officially joined the space station's crew and the current members of Expedition 69, including NASA astronauts, some people from the UAE, also people from Russia, and now people from Japan. Which is great because it's an international smorgasbord of astronauts in the space station.
For a brief period, the ISS will become even more cosmopolitan than it usually is, housing 11 people until crew Six members Bowen, Hoberg, Anyati and Fedyev return to Earth a few days later. Now they're scheduled undocking and return to Earth. Make room for the new team to settle in and get down to business and the new crew representing the US, Japan, Russia, and is already getting acquainted with life in microgravity. They're also being briefed on safety procedures, emergency
hardware locations, and more. And on Monday afternoon, these newly arrived flight engineers from Expedition 69 were briefed by Station Commander Sergey Prok Piev of Roscosmos and flight engineer Sultan and Yati of the UAE. And the crew is expected to live and work 260 miles above Earth for the next six months, contributing to ongoing experiments and possibly participating in space walks. Now another set of astronauts is also preparing for departure.
NASA astronaut Stephen Bowen, the commander of the SpaceX Dragon Endeavor spacecraft, will lead NASA pilot Woody Hoburg, admissions specialist Anyati and Andrei Fedyav of Roscosmos in the return to Earth In. This return journey is tentatively scheduled for Saturday, September 2nd in a skate speed edit this out and the spacecraft is expected to splash down off the coast of Florida.
Meanwhile, the station's other two crew members, Frank Rubio of NASA and Dimitri Petlian of Roscosmos, are not lounging around. They've been busy with a variety of tasks aboard the ISS. Rubio recently checked a Dragon pressure suit in the Endeavor spacecraft with assistance from Enyadi. Pentlin, on the other hand, conducted photographic inspections throughout the station's Roscosmos segment and wrapped up his day with a vision
test and exercise. Now, there's so much happening on the ISS, and it's a testament to the capabilities of international edit this out. There's so much happening on the ISS, and it's a testament to the capabilities of international cooperation in advancing our understanding of life in space.
And whether it's the technology that makes docking A spacecraft with the ISS possible or the collaborative experiments that are conducted aboard, these missions are a showcase of what humanity can achieve when we all work together. So that's it for today, everybody. Hope it's been enlightening, and I hope you enjoyed the episode about the International Space Station, the Crew Dragon, and also the Falcon 9 and all the astronauts on board the ISS.
Now, thank you for tuning into the show today. Now, before you go, don't forget to hit the subscribe or follow button on whatever podcast platform you're listening on right now. And it's free. It only takes a second and it goes a long way in supporting the show. So until next time, please take care of yourselves and each other and I'll see you in the next one.