NASA astronaut Stephen Bowen before the Crew-6 mission lift off (second from R.)
COHASSET, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — A Cohasset native is once again among the stars. Retired Navy Captain and NASA astronaut Stephen Bowen is the mission commander of the NASA Crew-6 Mission to the International Space Station, which blasted off early Thursday morning.
The 59-year-old has deep Massachusetts roots. Bowen is a graduate of Cohasset High School and got a Masters degree from MIT and Wood's Hole Oceanographic Institute. He's also the first naval Submarine Officer chosen by NASA to serve as a Mission Specialist.
This is Bowen's fourth time heading to the ISS: he went on missions to the station for NASA in 2008, 2010, and 2011. In total, NASA says Bowen has spent more than a month in space.
NASA says the Crew-6 mission will conduct more than 200 scientific experiments on board, which will help give the agency data on exploration deeper into space.
Three other astronauts and cosmonauts are aboard — another American, a Russian cosmonaut, and an astronaut from the United Arab emirates. The Crew-6 mission was delayed on Monday, but solved its fuel-check problems this week and lifted off without any issues. It's expected to dock at the ISS early Friday and stay there for six months.
WBZ's Brooke McCarthy (@BrookeWBZ) has more:
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