Flying on Crew Dragon Endurance will be three NASA astronauts and one ESA astronaut:

• Commander: NASA astronaut Raja Chari
• Pilot: NASA astronaut Thomas Marshburn
• Mission Specialist: NASA astronaut Kayla Barron
• Mission Specialist: ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer

Crew-3 Commander Raja Chari

NASA astronaut Raja Chari was born June 24, 1977 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He attended the United States Air Force Academy, graduating in 1999 with a bachelor’s degree in Astronautical Engineering and Engineering Science. He then went on to study at MIT, graduating with a master’s degree in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering in 2001. Following this, Chari went to the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School.

Chari was selected as a member of NASA Astronaut Group 22 in June 2017, alongside Crew-3 crew mate Kayla Barron.

In December 2020 it was announced that Chari had been selected as a member of the Artemis team, the group of astronauts eligible for the Artemis Moon missions. Later in the same month he was selected for his first mission to space, as the commander of Crew-3. This will be the first time a NASA rookie will have served as a commander since Gerald Carr commanded the Skylab 4 mission in 1973.

Crew-3 Pilot Thomas Marshburn

NASA astronaut Thomas Marshburn was born on August 29, 1960 in Statesville, North Carolina. Marshburn holds a bachelor’s degree in Physics from Davidson College, a master’s degree in Engineering Physics from the University of Virginia, a doctorate in Medicine from Wake Forest University, and a second master’s degree in Medical Science from the University of Texas Medical Branch.

Before becoming an astronaut, Marshburn was a NASA flight surgeon, working on the Space Shuttle Medical Operations team and the joint U.S./Russian Space Program, before becoming the the Medical Operations Lead for the International Space Station.

Marshburn was selected as a NASA astronaut in May 2004. He first flew on the Space Shuttle Endeavour for the STS-127 mission in 2009, and later flew aboard a Soyuz for Expedition 34/35 in 2012.

Crew-3 will be Marshburn’s third space flight, and at 61 years old, this flight will make him the third oldest astronaut to go to orbit.

Crew-3 Mission Specialist Kayla Barron

NASA astronaut Kayla Barron was born on September 19, 1987 in Pocatello, Idaho. Barron graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 2010, with a bachelor’s degree in Systems Engineering. Following this she studied at the University of Cambridge, gaining a master’s degree in Nuclear Engineering.

Post graduation, Barron was selected to be in the first group of women to be submarine warfare officers. Following her attendance at the U.S. Navy’s nuclear power and submarine officer training, she was assigned to the USS Maine. Prior to her astronaut selection Barron was Flag Aide to the Superintendent at the Naval Academy.

Barron was selected for NASA Astronaut Group 22 in June 2017 and will make her first journey to space as a member of Crew-3. Like fellow Crew-3 member Chari, Barron has been selected as a member of the Artemis team.

Crew-3 Mission Specialist Matthias Maurer

ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer was born on March 18, 1970 in St. Wendel, Germany. Maurer worked as a paramedic for the Malteser Emergency Service as part of his compulsory civilian service. Following this he studied Materials Science and Technology at Saarland University, Germany; University of Leeds, UK; the European School for Materials Technology EEIGM/INPL Nancy, France; and UPC Barcelona, Spain.

Maurer continued to study, graduating with a doctorate in Engineering from the Institute of Materials Sciences of the RWTH Aachen University in 2004. After this he embarked on a long term journey around the world.

Having joined the ESA astronaut corps in 2015, this will be Maurer’s first journey to space. Prior to his Crew-3 assignment, Maurer managed the development of Luna, a new ESA moon simulation facility, in Cologne, Germany.

Science During the Crew-3 Mission

Hundreds of experiments will be carried out by the Crew-3 astronauts on board the ISS, ranging from biomedical experiments to material science experiments to technology and artificial intelligence testing. The following is a handful of the experiments that will be done during the Crew-3 mission:BIOPRINT FIRST AIDCELLBOX-3THERMO-MINITHE CONCRETE-HARDENING PROJECTCOLD ATOMS LAB

Cold Atoms Lab

The Cold Atoms Lab (CAL) is a NASA experiment facility in the Destiny module of the ISS, which will study ultra cold atoms and Bose-Einstein Condensates (BEC) in a microgravity environment for the first time. In CAL, a laser is used to cool clouds of rubidium and potassium atoms to near absolute zero, which are then confined using a magnetic field to create a BEC.

BECs act like a singular giant atom, so quantum phenomena can be seen on a macroscopic level. This means that experiments done in CAL can test theories within quantum physics, like the general theory of relativity. CAL will also aid in the development of integrated circuit technologies and highly precise clocks and sensors.

Crew Dragon C210 Endurance

The Crew Dragon spacecraft being used on this mission is Crew Dragon C210-1, which has been given the name Endurance. This will be the first flight of Crew Dragon Endurance, and will be the first mission since Crew-1 in November 2020 to use a new Crew Dragon spacecraft. The capsule was given the name in honor of he SpaceX and NASA teams who built the spacecraft and trained its astronauts in the face of a pandemic, and is also an homage to the ship used in Sir Ernest Shackleton’s Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition.