NASA's SpaceX Crew-13 astronaut bringing 100-year-old heirloom on space station trip

Key Points:

• Canadian astronaut Joshua Kutryk will bring a more than 100-year-old family heirloom pocket watch on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-13 mission to the International Space Station (ISS), symbolizing the progress made over the past century.
• The Crew-13 mission, including Kutryk, NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov, is scheduled to launch Thursday at 11:10 a.m. ET from Cape Canaveral and aims to reach the ISS in under 8 hours, potentially the fastest trip ever.
• During their six-month stay, the crew will conduct scientific research on heart disease, Parkinson’s disease, crop production for long-duration spaceflight, blood flow abnormalities, and test new medical diagnostic equipment.
• The launch was previously delayed due to a propulsion system oxidizer leak and other technical issues, but after thorough checks, NASA and SpaceX declared the mission ready to proceed, despite a 45% chance of weather-related postponement.
• This mission continues the ISS’s 26-year legacy of continuous human presence in space, supporting international research and technology development that benefits Earth and prepares for future deep space exploration.