Spokane native to command mission to International Space Station

Anne McClain, a Spokane native, will command NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission to the International Space Station. The launch is scheduled for 4:48 p.m. Seattle time today from the Kennedy Space Center.

“Later today, astronaut Colonel Anne McClain from Spokane, Washington, will launch to the International Space Station. A proud Spokane native and 1997 Gonzaga Prep graduate, Ms. McClain embodies the adventurous spirit and determination that defines America’s astronaut corps,” said Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) during a Commerce Committee markup Wednesday morning.

“Her return to space as Commander of the Crew-10 continues Washington’s rich contribution to our nation’s space program. As Commander McClain has often said herself, ‘If you want to go far, go together.’ I think it’s a philosophy that perfectly captures the collaborative nature of space exploration and scientific progress,” Cantwell added.

Stranded astronauts will soon return to Earth

Once Crew-10 is aboard the orbiting laboratory, they will conduct a brief handover period with NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission. Weather permitting, the previous crew, including astronauts Suni Williams and Barry Wilmore, will return to Earth. Williams and Wilmore were initially scheduled for an eight-day mission but have been in space for nine months due to issues with Boeing’s Starliner.

Speaking from the space station earlier this month, Williams said the hardest part about the unexpected extended stay was the wait by their families back home.

“It’s been a roller coaster for them, probably a little more so than for us,” she said.

Wilmore and Williams expected to be gone just a week or so when they launched last June aboard Boeing’s new Starliner capsule, making its crew debut after years of delay. The Starliner had so many problems getting to the space station that NASA ruled it too dangerous to carry anyone and it flew back empty.

Their homecoming was further delayed by extra completion time needed for the brand-new SpaceX capsule that was supposed to deliver their replacements.

Last month, NASA announced the next crew would launch in a used capsule instead, pushing up liftoff to March 12. The two crews will spend about a week together aboard the space station before Wilmore and Williams depart with NASA’s Nick Hague and the Russian Space Agency’s Alexander Gorbunov.

Wilmore and Williams — retired Navy captains and repeat space fliers — have insisted over the months that they are healthy and committed to the mission as long as it takes. They took a spacewalk together in January.

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