Space-obsessed New Yorkers are about to be in for a treat courtesy of NASA. Next week’s spacecraft launch to the International Space Station will be broadcast live in Times Square, the agency has said.
The launch, in which three crew members will be vaulted to the International Space Station, will be shown on Time Square’s iconic twin screens. NASA astronaut Rick Mastracchio, the Russian Federal Space Agency’s Mikhail Tyurin, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Koichi Wakata will blast off in a Soyuz spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 11:14 p.m. Eastern Time on Nov. 6.
"The space station serves as a unique laboratory for researchers around the world, home to astronauts from multiple countries, and was built with international cooperation, so it's fitting to show the launch of the next crew in the most cosmopolitan city in the United States," said William Gerstenmaier, NASA's associate administrator for human exploration and operations, in a statement.
NASA Television coverage will begin at 10:15 p.m. and end at 11:45 p.m., so head over to Times Square next Wednesday evening if you’re inclined to marvel at science alongside tourists, street vendors, and likely a few buskers dressed as Elmo.
[via The Verge]
