--- title: "NASA Planning Mysterious Test With ISS-Docked SpaceX Crew Dragon" description: "NASA is planning to conduct a mysterious rehearsal demonstration of the Crew Dragon with the SpaceX ISS astronauts." date: "2020-06-19" modified: "2020-06-25" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-crew-dragon-demonstratrion-astronauts" categories: - "Crew Dragon" - "NASA" - "Space" - "SpaceX" tags: - "crew dragon" - "iss" - "NASA" - "SpaceX" - "the digest" --- # NASA Planning Mysterious Test With ISS-Docked SpaceX Crew Dragon ![In a matter of weeks, NASA is planning to conduct a "demonstration" of the Crew Dragon with four of the five current ISS crew members on board.]() *\Image: NASA\* On May 30, SpaceX pulled off a [historic launch](). The space company launched NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley to the International Space Station, the first time astronauts were sent into orbit from American soil since 2011. And their ride, SpaceX's [Crew Dragon spacecraft](), is now being put through its paces as it rests docked to the space station — including a mysterious "test" that could take the form of a dry-run escape from the station. "Crew Dragon has been doing great," Kathy Lueders, NASA's new head of human spaceflight, [said]() during a Q&A on Thursday. "Every week it wakes up and we do checkouts, and then it goes back into what we call quiescent mode, which is kind of like sleep mode." In a matter of weeks, NASA is planning to conduct a "demonstration" of the Crew Dragon with four of the five current ISS crew members on board. [According to *Teslerati*](), that demonstration will "rehearse" an "emergency" in which the crewmembers will simulate a last-minute escape from the space station. NASA has yet to publicly reveal further details about the test, though. A spokesperson declined to provide additional details to Futurism. The news comes after NASA [announced]() it will allow SpaceX to reuse both Crew Dragon capsules and Falcon 9 rockets for future astronaut missions, which would be "beneficial from a safety and/or cost standpoint," as NASA spokesperson Stephanie Schierholz [told *SpaceNews*]() earlier this week. According to Lueders, NASA is still eyeing an early August return for Behnken and Hurley. While the May launch was undoubtedly a great accomplishment, SpaceX hasn't finished the mission until both astronauts are safely back on the ground. **READ MORE:** [SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft put through its paces at orbital space station]() \[*Teslarati*\] **More on Crew Dragon:** *[Boeing’s Spaceship Cockpit Looks Strikingly Different Than SpaceX’s]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()