SpaceX has released captivating footage of its Crew Dragon spacecraft gracefully maneuvering through space, with the Pacific Ocean stretching out hundreds of miles below. Onboard the Crew Dragon were NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, embarking on their journey to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of SpaceX’s Crew-9 mission. The video, released by NASA, offers a similar perspective, showcasing the Crew Dragon’s approach to the orbital outpost.
A few hours after its launch, the Crew Dragon successfully docked with the ISS, allowing Hague and Gorbunov to join their nine colleagues already stationed there. The videos, shared on X, sparked curiosity about how the footage was captured. While some jokingly suggested a selfie stick, the reality is that the camera was mounted on the ISS itself.
With the ISS orbiting Earth at a remarkable speed of 17,500 mph, it’s crucial for the Crew Dragon to match this velocity for a smooth docking. This explains why the ISS can track the spacecraft’s movement so precisely. When a spacecraft docks with the ISS, it appears as if only the incoming vehicle is moving, and even then, at a very slow pace. However, the truth is that both are hurtling through space at an astonishing speed.
Hague and Gorbunov safely arrived at the ISS on Sunday. Initially, Crew-9 was planned for a four-member crew, but two seats remained vacant for NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, who are scheduled to return with Hague and Gorbunov at the end of the Crew-9 mission in February. Williams and Wilmore had initially traveled to the space station in June aboard Boeing’s Starliner for a planned 10-day stay, but unforeseen issues with the spacecraft prompted NASA to bring it back empty. As a result, Williams and Wilmore’s brief stay unexpectedly transformed into an eight-month mission.
