This Wednesday (5) it was launched into space the spaceship Starliner, from Boeing. Takeoff took place around 12 pm (Brasília time), from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, in Florida (United States). A ship It is taken into space by an Atlas V rocket, from ULA (United Launch Alliance).
Occupied by two astronauts — Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore — the vehicle is destined for the International Space Station (ISS), where it will be docked for a week. Along with the crew and flight instruments, some objects were sent. Find out what they are.
In total, the Starliner is carrying around 344 kg of cargo to the International Space Station. In addition to a replacement pump that will help keep the station’s closed water loop flowing, the crew is bringing food, clothing, medical supplies, exercise equipment, supplies and tools to the vehicle, as well as photography and media equipment.
But some special and personal items are also packed inside the capsule.
One of these items is a flash drive that contains 3,500 images of artwork from children living in 35 US states and 66 different countries.
Wilmore is carrying two gold rings that resemble the U.S. Navy astronaut pilot badge he had made for his father and brother, according to NASA. He also carries T-shirts from Tennessee Technological University and the University of Tennessee, his alma maters.
Williams chose t-shirts from the U.S. Naval Academy and Sunita L. Williams Elementary School, located in Needham, Massachusetts, which she considers her hometown. In addition, she is carrying a diver badge and two identification tags for her Labrador Retrievers.
Calypso the narwhal
A glowing narwhal toy is serving an important purpose as a zero-gravity indicator, floating as the Starliner hits space and the crew experiences microgravity. Calypso continues NASA’s long history of using toys in space as tools that signal gravity.
Williams’ niece and nephew helped her select this particular indicator. She wanted to choose an object that would raise awareness about how space and ocean research are intertwined.
Williams also named the Starliner capsule Calypso in honor of explorer Jacques Cousteau and his ship, which he sailed around the world to share insights about the world’s oceans. Suni believes Starliner will do the same for space, said Megan Cruz of NASA communications during the live broadcast.
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