SpaceX Crew-12: What SHOCKING Discovery Awaits Them in Space?!

Houston, we have news! NASA is gearing up for the SpaceX Crew-12 mission to the International Space Station, and they're giving us a peek behind the curtain with two news conferences scheduled for this Friday, January 30th, at the Johnson Space Center.

SpaceX Crew-12: What SHOCKING Discovery Awaits The...

First up, at 11 a.m. EST, the mission leadership team will be laying out all the details: think final launch preparations, the mission's primary objectives – you know, the nitty-gritty stuff. You can catch that live on NASA's YouTube channel. And then, at 1 p.m. EST, things get even more exciting because we'll hear directly from the Crew-12 astronauts themselves in a virtual news conference from their crew quarters! That will also be streamed live. It's the last chance to hear from them before they head to Kennedy Space Center in Florida for launch.

So, who's on this trip? We've got NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev. Quite the international crew! They'll be rocketing to the ISS aboard a SpaceX Dragon capsule, powered by the Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Here's a little insider info: NASA, SpaceX, and their international partners are actually looking at potentially moving the launch date *earlier* than the originally scheduled February 15th. Things are moving fast, it seems.

For those of you in the media based in the U.S., there's an opportunity to attend the mission overview briefing in person. But you'll need to be quick! The deadline to contact the NASA Johnson newsroom is 5 p.m. CST on Thursday, January 29th. The number is 281-483-5111, or you can email them at jsccommu@mail.nasa.gov. If you'd prefer to participate by phone, the deadline is 9:45 a.m. EST on the day of the event. Don't forget to check out NASA’s media accreditation policy online before reaching out.

Now, let's talk about Jessica Meir for a second. This will be her second trip to the ISS. She was selected as an astronaut back in 2013, and she's got an impressive academic background. A bachelor's in biology from Brown, a master's in space studies, and a doctorate in marine biology! During her first stint in space, she spent 205 days as a flight engineer during Expedition 61/62, and she even participated in the first three all-woman spacewalks alongside Christina Koch. Talk about an amazing resume! I always find it inspiring how incredibly accomplished these astronauts are. It makes the whole space program that much more exciting.