Today is a BIG day for the U.S. space program! For the first time in history, a private corporation is launching a MANNED rocket - with two NASA astronauts into space to land at the International Space Station. Wednesday - May 27, 2020, astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken climb aboard a SpaceX Dragon capsule atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and, equipment and weather permitting, shoot into space. It will be the first astronaut launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center since the last shuttle flight in 2011. It will also mark the first attempt by a private company to send astronauts into orbit. Only governments — Russia, the U.S., and China — have done that. Ever since the Space Shuttle retired nearly a decade ago, the U.S. has paid Russia upwards of $80 million per seat to fly NASA astronauts to the International Space Station.On launch day, Hurley and Behnken will get ready inside Kennedy’s remodeled crew quarters, which dates back to the two-man Gemini missions of the mid-1960s. SpaceX techs will help the astronauts into their one-piece, two-layer pressure suits. Hurley and Behnken will emerge through the same double doors used on July 16, 1969, by Apollo 11′s Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins — the Operations and Checkout Building now bears Armstrong’s name. WOW!!!! But instead of the traditional Astrovan, the two will climb into the back seat of a Tesla Model X for the nine-mile ride to Launch Complex 39A, the same pad used by the moonmen and most shuttle crews. It’s while they board the Tesla that they’ll see their wives and young sons for the last time before the flight. We reviewed the history of the U.S. space exploration program from the 1950s into the 1960s & 70s. There is so much history here and so much excitement about this event! These two astronauts are married to female astronauts who have also been to space - both families are close friends. It is also worthy to note that president of SpaceX is a woman. Both the SpaceX and NASA teams are really impressive. This event will start to broadcast in the early afternoon today. Lift-off is scheduled to happen at 4:33pm. It will take the astronauts 19 hours to reach the ISS. They are expected to dock with the ISS at 11:39am tomorrow morning.