Jump to content

NASA Sets Briefings for Crew-8, International Space Station Missions


Recommended Posts

  • Publishers
Posted
jsc2023e047425-altlarge.jpg?w=1920
The four crew members representing NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission to the International Space Station pose for an official portrait at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

NASA will host a pair of news conferences Thursday, Jan. 25, from the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston to highlight upcoming crew rotation missions to the International Space Station.

A mission overview news conference will begin at 1 p.m. EST and cover NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission to the microgravity laboratory and Expeditions 70/71. A crew news conference will start at 2:30 p.m., followed by individual astronaut interviews at 3:30 p.m.

Both news conferences will be available on the NASA+ streaming service via the web or NASA app, and will air live on NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website. Learn how to stream NASA TV through a variety of platforms including social media.

The Crew-8 mission, targeted to launch in mid-February, will carry NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, and Jeannette Epps, as well as Alexander Grebenkin of Roscosmos to the space station. NASA astronaut Tracy C. Dyson, scheduled to launch to the space station on the Soyuz MS-25 spacecraft on March 21, also will participate in the crew briefing and interviews.

For the Crew-8 mission, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the crew aboard a Dragon spacecraft from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on the company’s eighth crew rotation mission for NASA. Dyson will launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

This event is the final media opportunity to speak to the Crew-8 astronauts before they travel to Kennedy for launch. Media wishing to participate in person or seeking a remote interview with the crew must request credentials no later than 5 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 24, from the Johnson newsroom at 281-483-5111 or jsccommu@mail.nasa.gov.

Media interested in participating by phone must contact the Johnson newsroom by 9:45 a.m. the day of the event.

Briefing participants include (all times Eastern):

1 p.m.: Mission Overview News Conference

  • Ken Bowersox, associate administrator, Space Operations Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington
  • Steve Stich, manager, Commercial Crew Program, NASA Johnson
  • Joel Montalbano, manager, International Space Station Program, NASA Johnson
  • Sarah Walker, director, Dragon Mission Management, SpaceX
  • Sergei Krikalev, executive director, Human Space Flight Programs, Roscosmos

2:30 p.m.: Crew News Conference

  • Tracy Dyson, flight engineer
  • Matthew Dominick, spacecraft commander
  • Michael Barratt, pilot
  • Jeanette Epps, mission specialist
  • Alexander Grebenkin, mission specialist

3:30 p.m.: Individual Crew Interview Opportunities

  • Crew-8 members and Dyson available for a limited number of interviews

More about space station crew

Full crew biographies are linked above. Below are highlights of their spaceflight experience.

NASA selected Tracy C. Dyson as an astronaut in June 1998, and during her previous two flights, she logged more than 188 days in space. Dyson first launched aboard the space shuttle Endeavour on STS-118 in 2007, serving as a mission specialist. During the mission, the crew added the starboard-5 truss segment to the station’s “backbone” and a new gyroscope. In 2010, Dyson served as flight engineer for Expedition 23/24 and performed three spacewalks, logging 22 hours and 49 minutes outside the station as she helped remove and replace a failed pump module for one of two external ammonia circulation loops that keep internal and external equipment cool.

Matthew Dominick will serve as commander for Crew-8, his first spaceflight after being selected as an astronaut in 2017. During Expedition 70/71 aboard the space station, he will serve as a mission specialist. Follow @dominickmatthew on X.

Michael Barratt is the Crew-8 pilot, making his third visit to the space station. In 2009, Barratt served as a flight engineer for Expeditions 19/20 as the station transitioned its standard crew complement from three to six, and performed two spacewalks. He flew aboard the space shuttle Discovery in 2011 on STS-133, which delivered the Permanent Multipurpose Module and fourth Express Logistics Carrier. Barratt has spent a total of 212 days in space. During Expedition 70/71, he will serve as a mission specialist.

Jeanette Epps was selected by NASA as an astronaut in 2009 and is a mission specialist aboard Crew-8, her first spaceflight, working with the commander and pilot to monitor the spacecraft during the dynamic launch and re-entry phases of flight. She will serve as a flight engineer during Expeditions 70/71. Follow @Astro_Jeanette on X.

Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin is flying on his first mission. He will serve as a flight engineer during Expeditions 70/71.

Learn more about how NASA innovates for the benefit of humanity through NASA’s Commercial Crew Program at:

https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew

-end-

Joshua Finch
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov

Leah Cheshier
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
leah.d.cheshier@nasa.gov

Share

Details

Last Updated
Jan 17, 2024

View the full article

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Similar Topics

    • By NASA
      NASA/Charles Beason Students from the University of Massachusetts Amherst team carry their high-powered rocket toward the launch pad at NASA’s 2025 Student Launch launch day competition in Toney, Alabama, on April 4, 2025. More than 980 middle school, high school, and college students from across the nation launched more than 40 high-powered amateur rockets just north of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. This year marked the 25th anniversary of the competition.
      To compete, students follow the NASA engineering design lifecycle by going through a series of reviews for nine months leading up to launch day. Each year, a payload challenge is issued to the university teams, and this year’s task focused on communication. Teams were required to have “reports” from STEMnauts, non-living objects inside their rocket, that had to relay real-time data to the student team’s mission control. This Artemis Student Challenge took inspiration from the agency’s Artemis missions, where NASA will send astronauts to explore the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefit, and to build the foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars.
      See highlights from the 2025 Student Launch.
      Text credit: NASA/Janet Sudnik
      Image credit: NASA/Charles Beason
      View the full article
    • By NASA
      NASA astronauts Anne McClain (bottom) and Nichole Ayers (top), both Expedition 73 Flight Engineers, checkout spacesuit hardware in the Quest airlock and review procedures for a May 1 spacewalk. Credit: NASA Johnson Space Center NASA astronauts Nichole Ayers and Anne McClain will answer prerecorded questions about science, technology, engineering, and mathematics from students in Bethpage, New York. The two astronauts are currently aboard the International Space Station.
      Watch the 20-minute Earth-to-space call at 12:45 p.m. EDT on Friday, May 16, on the NASA STEM YouTube Channel.
      Media interested in covering the event must RSVP no later than 5 p.m., Tuesday, May 13, by contacting Francesca Russell at: frussell@syntaxny.com or 516-644-4330.
      The event is hosted by Central Boulevard Elementary School. As part of the call, students will highlight their year-long reading program, “Reading is a Blast-Exploring a Universe of Stories.”
      For more than 24 years, astronauts have continuously lived and worked aboard the space station, testing technologies, performing science, and developing skills needed to explore farther from Earth. Astronauts aboard the orbiting laboratory communicate with NASA’s Mission Control Center in Houston 24 hours a day through SCaN’s (Space Communications and Navigation) Near Space Network.
      Important research and technology investigations taking place aboard the space station benefit people on Earth and lays the groundwork for other agency missions. As part of NASA’s Artemis campaign, the agency will send astronauts to the Moon to prepare for future human exploration of Mars; inspiring Artemis Generation explorers and ensuring the United States continues to lead in space exploration and discovery.
      See videos of astronauts aboard the space station at:
      https://www.nasa.gov/stemonstation
      -end-
      Gerelle Dodson
      Headquarters, Washington
      202-358-1600
      gerelle.q.dodson@nasa.gov
      Sandra Jones
      Johnson Space Center, Houston
      281-483-5111
      sandra.p.jones@nasa.gov
      Share
      Details
      Last Updated May 09, 2025 LocationNASA Headquarters Related Terms
      NASA Headquarters International Space Station (ISS) Johnson Space Center View the full article
    • By NASA
      Students from Eau Gallie High School in Melbourne, Florida, visited the Prototype Development Laboratory at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Monday, April 28, 2025. The science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) participants are interested in technical trades and had the chance to hear from technicians at the Prototype Development Laboratory who design, fabricate, and evaluate protypes, test articles, and test support equipment.
      NASA Kennedy’s Office of STEM Engagement provides opportunities to attract, engage, and enable students seeking careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
      “My technical training in high school plays a huge role in the work I do every day in the Prototype Laboratory,” said Spencer Wells, mechanical engineering technician at Prototype Development Laboratory. “If it weren’t for that training, I’m convinced I wouldn’t be here at NASA.”
      Some of the participants also have worked on a project to design and build a wheel for a lunar excavator demonstration mission as part of the NASA HUNCH program, an instructional partnership between NASA and educational institutions.
      Image credit: NASA/Frank Michaux
      View the full article
    • By NASA
      3 min read
      Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
      When most people think of NASA, they picture rockets, astronauts, and the Moon. But behind the scenes, a group of inventors is quietly rewriting the rules of what’s possible — on Earth, in orbit, and beyond. Their groundbreaking inventions eventually become technology available for industry, helping to shape new products and services that improve life around the globe. For their contributions to NASA technology, we welcome four new inductees into the 2024-2025 NASA Inventors Hall of Fame

      A robot for space and the workplace

      Myron (Ron) Diftler led the team behind Robonaut 2 (R2), a humanoid robot developed with General Motors. The goal was to create a robot that could help humans both in space and on the factory floor. The R2 robot became the first humanoid robot in space aboard the International Space Station, and part of its technology was licensed for use on Earth, leading to a grip-strengthening robotic glove to help humans with strenuous, repetitive tasks. From factories to space exploration, Diftler’s work has real-world impact. 

      Some of the toughest electronic chips on and off Earth

      Technology developed to one day explore the surface of Venus has to be tough enough to survive the planet where temperatures hit 860°F and the atmosphere is akin to battery acid. Philip Neudeck’s silicon carbide integrated circuits don’t just work — they ran for over 60 days in simulated Venus-like conditions. On Earth, these chips can boost efficiency in wireless communication systems, help make drilling for oil safer, and enable more practical electric vehicles. 
      From developing harder chip materials to unlocking new planetary missions, Neudeck is proving that the future of electronics isn’t just about speed — it’s about survival.

      Hydrogen sensors that could go the distance on other worlds

      Gary Hunter helped develop a hydrogen sensor so advanced it’s being considered for a future mission to Titan, Saturn’s icy moon. These and a range of other sensors he’s helped developed have applications that go beyond space exploration, such as factory floors here on Earth.
      With new missions on the horizon and smarter sensors in development, Hunter is still pushing the boundaries of what NASA technology can do. Whether it’s Titan, the surface of Venus, or somewhere we haven’t dreamed of yet, this work could help shape the way to get there. 

      Advanced materials research to make travel safer

      Advanced materials, such as foams and composites, are key to unlocking the next generation of manufacturing. From space exploration to industry, Erik Weiser spent years contributing his expertise to the development of polymers, ceramics, metals, nanomaterials, and more. He is named on more than 20 patents. During this time, he provided his foam expertise to the Space Shuttle Columbia accident investigation, the Shuttle Discovery Return-to-Flight Investigation and numerous teams geared toward improving the safety of the shuttle.  
      Today, Weiser serves as director of the Facilities and Real Estate Division at NASA Headquarters, overseeing the foundation of NASA’s missions. Whether it’s advancing research or optimizing real estate across the agency, he’s helping launch the future, one facility at a time.

      Want to learn more about NASA’s game changing innovations? Visit the NASA Inventors Hall of Fame.
      Read More Share
      Details
      Last Updated May 09, 2025 Related Terms
      Technology Technology Transfer Technology Transfer & Spinoffs Explore More
      3 min read Key Portion of NASA’s Roman Space Telescope Clears Thermal Vacuum Test
      Article 2 days ago 4 min read NASA Enables SPHEREx Data Return Through Commercial Partnership
      Article 3 days ago 6 min read NASA Data Helps Map Tiny Plankton That Feed Giant Right Whales
      In the waters off New England, one of Earth’s rarest mammals swims slowly, mouth agape.…
      Article 4 days ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA
      Missions
      Humans in Space
      Climate Change
      Solar System
      View the full article
    • By Space Force
      U.S. Space Force Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman emphasized the critical role of partnerships and the growing strategic importance of space during his remarks at the 2nd International AeroSpace Power Conference in Rome.

      View the full article
  • Check out these Videos

×
×
  • Create New...