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Members of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) SpaceX Crew-2 mission to the International Space Station (ISS) Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur spoke to members of the press on Friday about their journey onboard Space Exploration Technologies Corp.’s (SpaceX) Crew Dragon capsule and daily life on the station. Kimbrough and McArthur are part of the four-member crew, part of Expedition 65 on the orbiting space laboratory. The interview provided more details about what a journey on the Dragon feels like for its passengers.

Falcon 9 & Crew Dragon “Somewhere In Between” Of Space Shuttle and Russian Soyuz In Terms Of Ride Experience According To NASA Astronaut

Their interviews were conducted by KFMB-TV and Spaceflight Now, with the questions asked ranging from the crew’s experience on board the SpaceX Crew Dragon and working and living on the ISS.

KFMB-TV’s Heather Myer’s kicked off the discussion when she asked the astronauts about their journey on the Crew Dragon.

In response, Kimbrough replied:

Stephen Clark of Spaceflight Now then took over, with his questions being more pointed than Myers’. He began by asking Kimbrough about the differences in his experiences onboard the Falcon 9, the Space Shuttle and the Russian Soyuz.

To this, the astronaut explained that the Crew Dragon lay in the middle of the Shuttle and Soyuz in terms of the smoothness of the journey.

He explained that:

Clark then moved forward by asking the astronauts how the Falcon 9’s Merlin Vacuum engine compares to the Space Shuttle. This engine is present on the second (upper) stage of the rocket and is responsible for propelling payload and astronauts into space after the first stage of the rocket separates.

According to Kimbrough:

The reporter then asked about the habitability difference between the Crew Dragon, the Space Shuttle and the Soyuz.

Kimbrough replied by highlighting that spending time in the capsule for extended periods of time is difficult.

His full response to the question was:

The Crew Dragon’s spaciousness over the Soyuz has also been discussed previously by NASA astronaut Shannon Walker. She flew to the ISS as part of the space agency’s first operational crewed flight to the space station last year, and when questioned in December by SpaceX’s president Ms. Gwynne Shotwell about the differences in flying on the Dragon and the Soyuz,  replied that:

The Inspiration4 is SpaceX’s first private crewed mission for the Crew Dragon, and it will fly a civilian crew in Earth orbit. It will take to the skies in September, using the capsule which flew astronauts Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover, Shannon Walker and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Soichi Noguchi to the ISS last year under NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1 mission.

For more details on what it’s like inside the Crew Dragon as it returns to Earth, read Astronauts Lay Bare SpaceX Crew Dragon Flight And Journey Experience.