Camas astronaut takes flight on SpaceX ISS mission

This is Dr. Michael Barratt’s 3rd mission to the ISS

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A NASA astronaut hailing from Washington state is set to pilot a Space-X Crew-8 mission launching from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center, but will have to wait until Sunday.

Dr. Michael Barratt of Camas will join two other astronauts and one cosmonaut for a six-month stay at the International Space Station (ISS). This will be Dr. Barratt’s third ISS mission.

But weather postponed the Saturday night launch. Liftoff is now scheduled for Sunday, March 3, at 7:53 p.m. PST.

Prior to officially becoming an astronaut in 2000, Dr. Barratt held various positions in the medical field at NASA, including serving as Medical Operations Lead for the ISS and being the lead crew surgeon for its first expedition. He even worked and trained in Russia at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center.

Serving as a NASA astronaut since 2000, Dr. Barratt has performed ISS spacewalks and served as a mission specialist for the last flight of the Space Shuttle Discovery back in 2011, among other positions.

His most recent research focus is on understanding and alleviating the health risks of a human mission to Mars.

During this current mission, the crew – including Dr. Barratt – will conduct over 200 scientific experiments and technology demonstrations at the station’s orbiting laboratory, including new research to prepare for human exploration.