Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley are the astronauts who will be aboard the SpaceX Team Dragon pill when it releases on Wednesday.

Both men are skilled astronauts and engineers who signed up with NASA after attaining the rank of colonel as military pilots, however their lives and professions have actually mirrored each other’s for twenty years.

Their historical launch, set up for 9.33 pm on Wednesday, will be the first manned spaceflight to release from the United States given that the space shuttle bus was retired in 2011.

Behnken will be the joint operations leader for the objective, accountable for the SpaceX Team Dragon’s rendezvous with the International Spaceport Station, along with docking and undocking.

He has actually formerly finished 2 space shuttle bus flights and carried out 3 spacewalks, and prior to signing up with NASA was a test flight engineer with the United States Air Force.

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Bob Behnken was previously a United States Air Force pilot

Hurley will be the spacecraft leader, accountable for launch, landing and recovery.

He likewise has actually finished 2 space shuttle bus flights, consisting of the final objective in 2011, and prior to signing up with NASA was a fighter pilot in the United States Marine Corps.

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Doug Hurley was previously a fighter pilot in the Marine Corps

They were both picked as astronauts in 2000, and both of them met their partners – who are likewise astronauts and part of NASA’s class of 2000 – while going through training.

Behnken’s better half, Megan McArthur, is an oceanographer and NASA astronaut who has actually flown one space shuttle bus objective. She is currently the deputy chief of NASA’s Astronaut Office

Hurley’s better half, Karen Nyberg, is a mechanical engineer and was a NASA astronaut who finished 2 space objectives prior to just recently retiring.

Doug and Bob as they are often described are friends and they went to each other’s wedding events. They likewise both have kids and have actually trained together for this objective for 5 years.

In an advertising video for NASA which shows the close bond in between the 2, Behnken stated what he was most anticipating was “actually ending up in the water, safely, at the end of the mission”.

” Seeing how we both go through that experience of, I’m anticipating, a bit of throwing up.

” When we get to that chance to do that in the water together, it’s sort of a strange thing to state, however I’m anticipating that sort of celebratory event.”

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Behnken (left) and Hurley both met their partners while training for NASA

Hurley added: “For me it’s simply in fact getting to fly the objective with Bob.

” We have actually been friends given that we began as astronauts nearly 20 years back, so being fortunate adequate to get to fly with your friend is, sort of a, I believe there’s a great deal of people that want they might do that. We’re fortunate adequate to do it.

” We invested a ton of time together. We might have gone 2 instructions with that – we might have gotten to the point where we didn’t wish to be around each other, or we’re better.

” I believe simply the whole experience for me is what we’re searching for. And after that, yes, the celebratory throwing up at the end of the objective will be exceptional,” he added.

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