Dr. Chris “Stretch” Birch • Training to explore and do science off-planet
Houston, TX
Joined January 2022
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Welcome home Crew-9! It has been an honor supporting your mission from the ground. Thanks to all the discipline-specific flight controllers working day in, day out to keep our crew safe and support their work aboard the ISS.
Welcome home, #Crew9
@NASA_Astronauts Nick Hague, Suni Williams, Butch Wilmore, and cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov splashed down off the coast of Florida at 5:57pm ET (2127 UTC), concluding their scientific mission to the @Space_Station: go.nasa.gov/3FNMxJ4
ALT SpaceX's Dragon capsule, a small cone, splashes down into the water off the coast of Florida. Its four main parachutes billow above it, dominating the image, with Dragon and a few small support ships below. The water is fairly calm and the sky is a clear, pale blue. Credit: NASA/Keegan Barber
Pi day is a beautiful day to send your friends and colleagues to space! Go Crew-10!
Have a great time in space, y'all!
#Crew10 lifted off from @NASAKennedy at 7:03pm ET (2303 UTC) on Friday, March 14.
Astro_Birch retweeted
LIVE: @NASA_Astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore are taking a spacewalk to maintain @Space_Station hardware and collect samples. Today's spacewalk is scheduled to start at 8am ET (1300 UTC) and go for about 6.5 hours. xitter.cf/i/broadcasts/1YpJklBzX…
Astro_Birch retweeted
Happy birthday to the first Canadian who will fly to the Moon, @Astro_Jeremy! Join us in wishing him an amazing day. 🎂
asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/astronauts…
ALT CSA astronaut Jeremy Hansen is all smiles as he poses in front of the Orion spacecraft that will carry him and his Artemis II crewmates on their lunar-bound mission.
Astro_Birch retweeted
Docking confirmed!
@BoeingSpace's #Starliner docked to the forward-facing port of the @Space_Station's Harmony module at 1:34pm ET (1734 UTC). @NASA_Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will soon make their way into the orbital laboratory, where they'll spend about a week.
Astro_Birch retweeted
Mail time! 📪
We're kicking off 2024 with the fourth edition of Fan Mail, featuring @astro_berrios, @astro_birch, @AstroDuke, @AstroIronMike, @Astro_Raja, @AstroKomrade, and @astro_anil!
Astro_Birch retweeted
Will you see @SpaceX's Dragon Endurance streak through the skies as #Crew5 heads home tonight?
This map highlights where and when Crew-5 is most likely to be visible immediately before splashdown at 9:02pm ET (0202 UTC March 12). Share your photos if you spot it!
ALT A map of Central America and the southern United States, highlighting where Crew-5 will be most visible from the ground as they reenter Earth's atmosphere. A long blue-green line stretching from southern Mexico to near Tampa Bay, Florida indicates the best viewing spots, with reentry times between 7:50 PM CT and 7:55 PM CT corresponding to when Crew-5 will pass over those locations.
Learning displays in an Orion simulator …. flying a barrel roll in the T-38…. competing in an orienteering meet…. It’s been a rich 24 hours!
Day 1 of Geology Training: a visit to the Lunar Sample Laboratory at @NASA_Johnson. We learned about the rock and regolith (soil) types that Apollo astronauts returned with, and what makes these samples so interesting for researchers seeking to understand our solar system.
We heard Gerry Griffin (Apollo @NASAFltDirector) and Jack Schmitt (Apollo 17 @NASA_Astronauts) tell how trust and comm play a critical role to successful EVAs— like those on the lunar surface. Amazing perspective that sets the tone for an immersive 2 weeks of geology training.
Artemis I launch was scrubbed today after an engine bleed issue prevented chilling to the correct temp range. However, it was an honor to support w/@NASA_Astronauts and thank the people who have devoted many years to building this incredible vehicle. Thank you and Go Artemis!
Astro_Birch retweeted
First tank: full! The liquid oxygen tank has been loaded and will be replenished while we continue topping off the liquid hydrogen tank.
Astro_Birch retweeted
We’re GOing in 1 more day! 🚀
Spending my morning at @NASAKennedy with a few @NASA_Astronauts candidates before #Artemis I launch. This is what the future of space exploration looks like!
Astro_Birch retweeted
We are ready. 🚀
In just five days, the first launch opportunity of the integrated @NASA_SLS rocket and @NASA_Orion spacecraft will take place. The uncrewed #Artemis I mission around the Moon will pave the way for future crewed missions and begin a new chapter of exploration.
🚀We. Are. Going!
Several astronauts executed this incredible formation fly(🪰?)-by of Artemis I, including Flies @Astro_Ayers & @astro_hathaway.
Launch is currently scheduled for Monday 8/29 at 8:33 EDT— check out the @nasakennedy YouTube for live coverage.
Photo: @nasa
Nothing in a vacuum happens “in a vacuum”— that is, nothing happens without a team. This even includes donning our spacesuits. Huge thanks to my team at the NBL today, including experienced astro @Astro_Jessica, for guiding me through my first pressurized suit experience. – at Houston, TX
Training bonus? I can now say I’ve traveled supersonic! (Mach 1.04 might be small potatoes to the experienced pilot, but it was still an interesting milestone.) Personally, I found the few seconds of zero-G flight to be much more exciting!
