Before taking a historic voyage to space and returning in 2020, NASA astronaut Doug Hurley reflected on his time working with SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.
Hurley spoke with Fox News, where he shared his thoughts about Musk, following the premiere of "Return to Space," a Netflix documentary about the Tesla and SpaceX CEO. It also features Hurley and colleague astronaut Bob Behnken on their voyage to the International Space Station on the first human SpaceX mission.
Musk and SpaceX made history in May 2020 when the firm flew two humans into orbit on the Crew Dragon spaceship. Shortly later, the astronauts' spacecraft arrived at the International Space Station.
The mission was the first time humans were transported into orbit and to the International Space Station by a commercial spacecraft.
GRUENHEIDE, GERMANY - SEPTEMBER 03: Tesla head Elon Musk talks to one visitor as he arrives to have a look at the construction site of the new Tesla Gigafactory near Berlin on September 03, 2020, near Gruenheide, Germany. Musk is currently in Germany, where he met with vaccine maker CureVac on Tuesday. Tesla has cooperation to build devices for producing RNA vaccines and German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier yesterday.
NASA Astronaut Says Elon Musk 'Concerned' About The Safety Of His Crew, Staff
SpaceX became the first private company to send humans into space with its launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center, ending a nine-year launch drought for NASA astronauts from the United States. Since the space shuttles were decommissioned in 2011, NASA has relied only on Russia to carry astronauts to the International Space Station.
The 55-year-old former US Marine Colonel sat down for the film and reflected on his time working with the 50-year-old and how it changed his life. Doug Hurley left NASA in 2021 after 21 years of service as an astronaut.
When asked what his initial impression of Musk was, Hurley said he met him early in the process and was impressed by his "understanding of the technical difficulty." He claimed (per reports) that the tech billionaire wants to learn and participate in the entire process to solve the problem.
Before the SpaceX launch, the United States had not sent anyone to space from its land since 2011. With the 2020 trip, Musk not only revitalized American crewed spaceflight for NASA but also ushered in a new age of commercial spaceflight.
However, one aspect of Musk that "amazed" Hurley the most was his fantastic knowledge of the technical problem.
Musk also told Doug Hurley that he would be reunited with his family, despite Hurley's concerns about Musk's safety. According to the former astronaut, a common misconception about Musk is that he is strange and distant. According to Hurley, Musk spoke with every employee before the launch, even interns.
"He wanted to make sure that not only was the operation successful, but that we would be able to return to our families," Hurley told Fox. "It spurred him to examine every feasible aspect of the spaceship to ensure that we returned safely," he said in an Insider report.
"I think that's a very human side a lot of people don't get to see. [I witnessed] a man who was genuinely concerned about our well-being and our families. And I will always be thankful for that because I'm still here," Hurley added.
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