Flight Safety Information March 20, 2020 - No. 058 In This Issue Incident: Virgin Atlantic A333 at London on Mar 14th 2020, could not fully retract landing gear Incident: Estelar B733 near Puerto Ayacucho on Mar 18th 2020, cabin pressure problems or low on fuel Incident: Iberia A346 near Guayaquil on Mar 18th 2020, mayor orders runway incursion to prevent landing Ensuring Passenger Health and Safety, Lion Air Sterilizes Operating Aircraft The 4 T's of Aircraft Fueling Counterfeit coronavirus test kits seized at Chicago airport 8 Southwest flight attendants sue Boeing for 'concealing' 737 Max defects FAA administrator instructs employees to avoid agency facilities US Aviation Chief to Self-Quarantine for 7 Days American Airlines will use passenger planes for cargo-only flights to Europe British Airways pilots face pay cut and unpaid leave In the Middle of a Pandemic, a Boeing 787 Breaks Passenger Flight Records In May, SpaceX Will Return Human Spaceflight to U.S. Soil Incident: Virgin Atlantic A333 at London on Mar 14th 2020, could not fully retract landing gear A Virgin Atlantic Airbus A330-300, registration G-VWAG performing flight VS-117 from London Heathrow,EN (UK) to Miami,FL (USA), was climbing out of Heathrow's runway 27R when the crew stopped the climb at FL070 due to being unable to completely retract the landing gear, the left hand main gear did not indicated locked in the up position. The aircraft climbed to FL090 to burn off fuel and returned to Heathrow for a safe landing on runway 27L about one hour after departure. A passenger reported the crew attempted to rectify the problem by re-cycling the landing gear, however, to no avail. The aircraft returned to Heathrow, emergency services received the aircraft however were not needed. A replacement Dreamliner took them to Miami. The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in London on Mar 19th 2020 (possibly related to the Corona Pandemic, not necessarily related to damage or repair work needed). A Boeing 787-9 registration G-VWHO performing flight VS-5 reached Miami about 3 hours after scheduled arrival of VS-117. http://avherald.com/h?article=4d4b1ce5&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: Estelar B733 near Puerto Ayacucho on Mar 18th 2020, cabin pressure problems or low on fuel An Estelar Boeing 737-300, registration YV642T performing flight ES-8568 from Buenos Aires,BA (Argentina) to Caracas (Venezuela) with 118 people on board, had been enroute at FL330 when the aircraft diverted to Puerto Ayacucho (Venezuela), located about 280nm south of Caracas, for a safe landing, although without authorization. Military and Aviation Authorities surrounded the aircraft and kept the passengers on board until decisions were reached on how to proceed regarding precautions because of the Corona Pandemic. Due to the Corona Pandemic Veezuela had stopped all traffic into and out of the country. However, three re-patriating flights had been authorized to operate into Caracas to take stranded Venezuelans home, amongst them the ES-8568 flight, a Turkish Airlines flight from Istanbul and a Laser flight from the Dominican Republic. The airline reported the aircraft diverted to Puerto Ayacucho due to problems with the cabin pressure. The airline is consulting with Venezuela's Civil Aviation Authority INAC to get a flight from Puerto Ayacucho to Caracas organised. Passengers reported however, the aircraft needed to divert due to being low on fuel (editorial note: Distance Buenos Aires-Caracas 2730nm, official range 2,255nm with 126 passengers on board, previous rotations to Buenos Aires had been flown by Estelar's A340-300 operated by HiFly Malta). http://avherald.com/h?article=4d4b130c&opt=0 Back to Top Incident: Iberia A346 near Guayaquil on Mar 18th 2020, mayor orders runway incursion to prevent landing An Iberia Airbus A340-600, registration EC-KZI performing positioning flight IB-6453 from Madrid,SP (Spain) to Guayaquil (Ecuador) with no passengers and 11 crew, was enroute at FL410 about 230nm northeast of Guayaquil and about 90nm northeast of Quito (Ecuador) when the crew was forced to divert to Quito after the Mayoress of Guyaquil had ordered city vehicles to invade Guyaquil Aerodrome and occupy the runway to prevent the landing of the Iberia (as well as a later scheduled KLM) arrival. The aircraft landed safely in Quito. Later the same evening a KLM Boeing 777-200, registration PH-BQI, was scheduled to perform flight KL-755 from Quito to Guayaquil and further on to Amsterdam (Netherlands), however, needed to skip Guyaquil and operated directly from Quito to Amsterdam. Ecuador's government had agreed to both re-patriation flights of Spanish and Dutch citizens. The aircraft were set to arrive just with crew and no passengers and were to pick up their citizens. 170 Dutch citizens boarded the Boeing 777-200 in Quito. About 200 Spanish and Dutch citizens were waiting for their Iberia and KLM aircraft in Guayaquil. The Mayoress claimed the Iberia aircraft was arriving with 11 passengers and stated, Ecuador's government had ordered nobody was allowed to enter or leave Guayaquil due to the Corona pandemic. Sending an aircraft with 11 passengers to enter Guayaquil would thus violating the law and endanger local population, in particular as the aircraft came from Spain, the current focus of Corona infections into Ecuador. She assumed responsibility for instructing city vehicles to br driven onto the runway. The government stated that the flights had been coordinated with the Emergency Operations Committee, the only authority having jurisdiction over the airport and its operation at the time. Ecuador's Ministry of Transport blamed Guayaquil's mayor's office for hindering coordinated air traffic within emergency operations and disobeying specific orders issued under emergency conditions, the city officials will be kept responsible. The government appeals to the sanity of the local authorities. Ecuador's prosecution office have opened an investigation against the Mayoress of Guyauil claiming, she had no juridiction over the airport and endangered the foreign nationals, who had already moved to the airport. http://avherald.com/h?article=4d4b0d8f&opt=0 Back to Top Ensuring Passenger Health and Safety, Lion Air Sterilizes Operating Aircraft According to International Standards PT Lion Mentari Airlines ("Lion Air") today announced that it will carry out sterilization of all its operating aircraft to enhance passenger health and safety. This is in accordance with regulatory policies and international aviation standards. As the largest private airline in the Indonesian domestic aviation market, Lion Air will carry out the process of disinfecting aircraft units in accordance with international procedures and the process is overseen by the Soekarno-Hatta Airport Port Health Office (KKP) under the Ministry of Health. The company demonstrated the process of a Lion Air Boeing 737-800 at Soekarno Hatta Airport, Tangerang, Banten by spraying disinfectant spray multipurpose liquid throughout the cabin, cockpit and cargo compartment under the aircraft. The aircraft sterilization is a proactive policy adopted by Lion Air and Lion Air Group as a preventive measure in the face of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak confronting the world, including Indonesia. This commitment to disinfecting aircraft is the latest initiative by the airline in addition to measures that are already in place to protect flight crews and ground handling personnel. These include compulsory body temperature checks of all ground service personnel, also flight crews undergoing health examinations before being allowed to undertake flights. In addition, health equipment such as masks and hand sanitizers are also available in planes. Lion Air is also playing its part to encourage public health consciousness with a campaign for alternate courtesy greetings including demonstrating the 5S greetings (Smiles, Greetings, Greetings, Polite and Courtesy). https://www.aviationpros.com/airlines/press-release/21130356/lion-air-ensuring-passenger-health-and-safety-lion-air-sterilizes-operating-aircraft-according-to-international-standards Back to Top The 4 T's of Aircraft Fueling From technology to talent, training to tools, these best practices keep fueling operations cost-effective, safe and productive. Great ground crews know that a speedy turnaround takes more than an eye on the clock and a can-do attitude. Safely and accurately fueling aircraft within a given window takes good planning and the right tools. But the most important element is the crew that handles both. Let's look at four best practices that keep operations on target and on time. Talent: Attract and Retain the Best If time is money, that can't only be true of labor costs. It's also true of the results. Aircraft fuelers are in a unique position to understand the cost of delay. According to Airlines for America (A4A), the average cost of a minute of aircraft block time is $74.40 per minute. Fuel is a large part of that calculation, at $27.01, but not all of it. From that perspective, the time is worth more than the fuel. An engaged employee that will anticipate and prepare for the aircraft's arrival in order to minimize the turn time (while remaining focused on safety) is a worthy investment. Attracting and retaining the best talent also takes great management. An informed staffing model is a key best practice. In this case, "informed" means tracking all the variables that will impact refueling. That includes set up and break down time, as well as the actual flow rates for each aircraft. Without all those details, quickly developing staff schedules to meet flight schedules as they update is impossible. That can lead to frustration on the job and pressure to make up time, and that's when mistakes can happen. Considering the average cost of aircraft incident cited in an Alliance Group report is more than $50,000, avoiding mistakes is key, and retaining experienced supervising employees helps you do that. Look at the difference between a ground crew member with one year of experience, and one with less than one year. For ground crew members with less than a year of experience, there are 5.6 more safety violations per 1,000, according to Airport Workers United. That means keeping experienced employees around helps avoid safety issues. Informed staffing also helps eliminate unnecessary labor hours, keeping the operation efficient while keeping your team engaged. Training: Set your Crew up for Success We've already seen that a good employee is worth investing in. A training program should be comprehensive and continuous. Compliance and safety needs are paramount, and continuous training is key to a safety-first culture. Fuelers need to be well-versed in specific technology, specific aircraft types and the airline's standard fueling process and procedures. Additionally, having a top-tier aviation role to grow into within an organization provides a career path for high-caliber employees to pursue, thus reducing turnover. There are two important benefits to keep in mind for training best practices. One is that employee training records show due diligence on the company's part in the unfortunate case of an incident. Another is that training and opportunity (career progression, employee development) improves employee retention, by keeping employees engaged with learning new skills. One way to balance the labor costs of training is to use computer-based training. Another way to avoid the start-up costs of a quality training program is to consider a specialized partner with established online training. An experienced solutions provider can help you start with a strong foundation of compliance and safety from the very beginning, protecting both employees and customers. Technology: Stay on the Cutting Edge Don't hamper your team with technology that's behind the times. The wrong tools could be slowing your team down, bloating your labor costs and risking delay. Density hydrometers give your crew the actual fuel density at planeside. Since fuel density varies by temperature, calculating gallons per flight depends on an accurate measure of fuel density at the time and location of fueling. That keeps your team on target and reduces the danger of fuel venting on the tarmac. Fuel venting incidents occur mostly when the fueler attempts to load more fuel than the aircraft tank can physically hold. Providing the fueler with the current fuel density is another tool the fueler can use to ensure aircraft tanks are loaded properly without venting. Upgrading to handheld fueling data technology also has numerous benefits. It eliminates the need to fetch paper fueling slips from the gate or dispatch, and speeds communications with automatic notices to fuelers. Handheld technology centralizes information for your team, providing required fuel loads and calculating gallons for them, based on density measurements they input at the point of need. The same technology speeds reports to the cockpit, and everyone from accounting to the tank farm, with one push of a button, sending gate changes, aircraft swaps and fuel load modifications directly to the refueler. Real-time notifications of operational changes and assistance calculating volumes keeps everyone better informed, and that translates to improved safety. Tools: Uniformity Fosters Excellence Stationary fuel carts improve reliability by simplifying processes and improving safety. A stationary refueling cart already has a home on the apron, eliminating the need to compete with other ground support equipment trying to service the same aircraft. That reduces or eliminates potential damage to the aircraft, lowering your maintenance costs. Less equipment in motion around the aircraft also improves safety by reducing traffic on the tarmac. Fuel stands set to preset heights allow teams to quickly and safely reach fueling panels. Some models incorporate a cradle that holds the fueling coupler safely during connection and disconnection. Bright orange paint keeps stands highly visible, and the wide platforms keep fuelers comfortable and safe while on the stand. Multiple locking mechanisms ensure the stand does not move during refueling, and the cradle automatically raises the refueling couple to the fueling panel, eliminating the need for fuelers to carry couples up the stairs. The Right Team Has All Four T's Fueling teams face the same challenges across the industry, but how they overcome those challenges makes all the difference. A team that embraces best practices in attracting and retaining talent, establishes a great training program, and employs superior tools and technology fuels more than aircraft. That team fuels operational excellence. Stan Livingston, Vice President of Aviation for ABM, specializes in providing into-plane fueling services and ground support equipment (GSE) refueling services as well as the maintenance and operation of on and off airport fuel storage and distribution systems at commercial airports globally. For more information, visit www.abm.com/aviation. https://www.aviationpros.com/ground-handling/article/21126038/the-4-ts-of-aircraft-fueling Back to Top Counterfeit coronavirus test kits seized at Chicago airport Counterfeit coronavirus tests were intercepted at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport this week, US Customs and Border Protection officials said Thursday. The kits, shipped from the United Kingdom, included tests for COVID-19, as well as other illnesses, including meningitis and salmonella, officials said. They were seized on Tuesday and handed to the FDA for further analysis. "Counterfeit products have serious consequences to everyone," Hans Leiterman, assistant area port director for Chicago said in a statement. "CBP seizures of illegally imported counterfeit merchandise helps protect the health and safety of US citizens, and the reputation of marketplaces involved in these transactions." The federal agency warned that testing for the coronavirus should only be conducted by approved state or local public health laboratories. https://nypost.com/2020/03/20/counterfeit-coronavirus-test-kits-seized-at-chicago-airport/ Back to Top 8 Southwest flight attendants sue Boeing for 'concealing' 737 Max defects Pilots, consumers and shareholders are already suing Boeing as the jet remains grounded. Eight flight attendants at Southwest Airlines are suing Boeing more than a year after its 737 Max jet was grounded, saying the airplane maker "concealed design and safety defects" from Southwest, airline employees and the public. The suit, which is seeking class-action status, includes flight attendants from six states, including two from Texas. "In addition to concealing the known design and safety defects, Boeing doubled down by misrepresenting to the world that the 737 Max was a safe aircraft," the lawsuit complaint said. The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago, where Boeing is headquartered. A spokesman for Transport Workers Union Local 556, which represents Southwest's 16,000 flight attendants, said the union wasn't aware of the lawsuit. Boeing declined to comment on the suit. Southwest, based in Dallas, said it lost more than $450 million through the first three quarters of 2019 because it was short airplanes without the 737 Max. Boeing's signature, workhorse 737 Max was grounded March 13, 2019, after plane crashes in Ethiopia and Indonesia killed 346 passengers and crew members. Boeing is still working with the Federal Aviation Administration to recertify the plane and overhaul a flawed anti-stall software system that, when paired with a bad sensor, helped cause the crashes. After being grounded, Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 MAX aircraft are parked on the tarmac at the Southern California Logistics Airport in Victorville. Southwest only uses 737 planes and was depending on the newest variant, the Max, to reduce fuel costs in the years ahead. It has more of the aircraft than any other carrier with 34, but was supposed to get at least 40 more by the end of 2019. Boeing said it hopes the FAA will recertify the 737 Max in mid-2020. Much of the lawsuit from the eight flight attendants hinges on damaging congressional testimony and documents made public last fall, including documents that showed Boeing test pilots and other employees had long expressed concerns about the 737 Max's anti-stall software. The Southwest Airlines Pilots Association is also suing Boeing for more than $100 million in lost wages and other damages, as are groups of shareholders and consumers who say they were misled into buying tickets, traveling on planes and investing in a company flying the flawed aircraft. Southwest and Boeing came to a financial agreement in December that compensated the company for 2019 losses, and CEO Gary Kelly said it would negotiate more based on this year's losses. Southwest added $125 million to the profit-sharing pot for employees from the Boeing settlement. Much of the rest of the compensation came from discounts on pending aircraft orders. https://www.dallasnews.com/business/airlines/2020/03/19/eight-southwest-flight-attendants-sue-boeing-for-concealing-737-max-defects/ Back to Top FAA administrator instructs employees to avoid agency facilities The Federal Aviation Administration is asking employees not to report to agency facilities unless an emergency or mission-critical function requires them to be on-site. FAA Administrator Steve Dickson made the announcement in a March 19 all-staff email reviewed by FCW. Dickson is already undergoing a seven-day self-quarantine under Centers for Disease Control and Prevention protocols after a March 11 Capitol Hill interaction with Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.), who has tested positive for COVID-19. Dickson himself has not been tested, he told employees, because of a lack of symptoms. However, several FAA employees have tested positive for COVID-19, including one in the Air Traffic Organization Program Management Office in the agency's Washington, D.C., headquarters. Other FAA employees, including multiple air traffic controllers stationed at airports across the country, have also contracted COVID-19. FAA towers in Chicago and Las Vegas have been closed as a result, with work shifted to backup sites. "This message is to emphasize in the strongest terms that, until further notice, everybody in the FAA is encouraged to aggressively maximize telework flexibilities and avoid physical presence at FAA facilities unless your physical presence is necessary to accomplish your work duties," Dickson told employees March 19. Dickson urged managers to grant temporary telework eligibility to staff that are not otherwise afforded the opportunity to telework without telework agreements. FAA is also relaxing typical telework rules by permitting employees to work remotely alongside dependent children or elderly needing care. That flexibility was spelled out in a March 7 Office of Personnel Management memo. "Managers must ensure employees always have a sufficient amount of work to perform throughout the workday," Dickson wrote. "An employee performing telework who does not have enough work must notify his or her supervisor to discuss appropriate options." Dickson said the agency is "making every effort" to guarantee the readiness of IT infrastructure to support high-volume telework. Earlier this week the FAA took initial steps to encourage telework, but a March 17 statement focused on employees who were already telework-eligible. While such employees were urged to telework "to the maximum extent possible," the statement noted that "[m]any employees perform critical functions that cannot be handled remotely. In those instances, we are employing social distancing measures and increasing the cleaning of workspaces to reduce risk of exposure." https://fcw.com/articles/2020/03/19/faa-closes-to-non-essential.aspx Back to Top US Aviation Chief to Self-Quarantine for 7 Days WASHINGTON - U.S. Federal Aviation Administration chief Steve Dickson told employees that he will self-quarantine at home for seven days after a brief interaction with one of two members of Congress who have tested positive for COVID-19. Dickson said he is feeling well and said he has not received a test because he is symptom-free. "The smart and constructive thing for me to do is stay home," Dickson said. Some news outlets on Wednesday published photos of Dickson shaking hands with Representative Mario Diaz-Balart, who has now tested positive, during a congressional hearing last week. https://www.voanews.com/science-health/coronavirus-outbreak/us-aviation-chief-self-quarantine-7-days Back to Top American Airlines will use passenger planes for cargo-only flights to Europe American Airlines today announced that it will fly a handful of cargo-only flights to Europe, using its standard 777-300 passenger planes, over the course of the next few days. The company says these flights will carry medical supplies, mail for active U.S. military, telecommunications equipment and electronics, as well as packages from e-commerce firms. This marks the first time American is operating cargo-only flights since 1984, when it retired its last 747 freighter (one of those retired planes, by the way, was then modified to carry NASA's shuttle on its back). By default, virtually all airlines carry cargo on their domestic and international flights. American, for example, notes that it shipped more than 400 tons of flowers from Amsterdam to the U.S. in the two weeks around Valentine's Day. As airlines started shrinking their operations in light of various travel restrictions and plummeting customer demand during the current COVID-19 outbreak, that cargo capacity shrunk, too, even though there is still plenty of demand for moving cargo between countries. As of now, American and the other major U.S. airlines have suspended the majority of their international long-haul flights. "We have a critical role to play in keeping essential goods moving during this unprecedented time, and we are proud to do our part and find ways to continue to serve our customers and our communities," said Rick Elieson, president of Cargo and vice president of International Operations at American. "Challenging times call for creative solutions, and a team of people across the airline has been working nonstop to arrange cargo-only flight options for our customers." For now, American only plans to make two round-trips between Dallas and Frankfurt over the course of the next four days. "The flights provide much-needed cargo capacity for many of the airline's regular cargo customers, allowing them to continue operating in this challenging environment," the company says in its announcement. Delta, too, recently announced that it would use some of its grounded passenger planes to move cargo. As airlines continue to grapple with the fallout of this pandemic, we'll likely see more of them do this in the coming weeks. https://techcrunch.com/2020/03/19/american-airlines-will-use-passenger-planes-for-cargo-only-flights-to-europe/ Back to Top British Airways pilots face pay cut and unpaid leave LONDON (Reuters) - British Airways pilots will have to take two weeks of unpaid leave in both April and May as well as a deduction from basic pay over three months, it said in a letter to pilots on Friday. Chief Executive Alex Cruz last month told BA staff of plans to cut jobs and ground aircraft as he warned that the airline faces a battle to survive after coronavirus brought most air travel to a standstill. In the letter to pilots, the airline said it had agreed to initial measures with pilots' union BALPA to address "the immediate threat to the business in the face of COVID-19 and the unprecedented impact this is having on the airline". The Financial Times had earlier reported that pilots would face a 50% cut to their basic salary for April and May. British Airways, which is owned by IAG (ICAG.L), indicated that it aims to avoid compulsory redundancies and is keeping its options open so that it can respond quickly once demand for air travel returns. "We are committed to finding solutions and will focus any future discussions on exploring and exhausting all voluntary measures," the BA letter said. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-british-airways/british-airways-pilots-face-pay-cut-and-unpaid-leave-idUSKBN21647A Back to Top In the Middle of a Pandemic, a Boeing 787 Breaks Passenger Flight Records A direct flight from Tahiti to Paris, almost 10,000 miles, has taken the passenger flight record. Last month, another flight set the speed record after sailing on the jet stream. Planes usually fly with a carefully calculated amount of fuel, not a full tank every time. After a reroute from President Donald Trump, a French airline flew 130 passengers on the new longest distance passenger flight ever. The flight from Tahiti to Paris usually stops in Los Angeles, but was prevented from doing so by a COVID-19 (coronavirus) policy that stops incoming flights to the U.S. The March 14 flight was in the eye of a perfect storm. President Trump announced the U.S. travel restrictions that day, and the flight had just 130 passengers on a Boeing 787 built to hold at least 240 and as many as 330. With the low number of passengers, the plane could stretch one tank of fuel for nearly 10,000 miles from Paris direct to Tahiti. The flight took almost 16 hours and immediately took both length and distance records for passenger flights. Passenger jet fuel made the news in a terrible way earlier this year, when a distressed Delta flight didn't warn officials before dumping fuel on an elementary school. And while that terrible situation sounds roundly unforgivable, pilots can face hard decisions about fuel that can really mean life or death for the people on their planes. For that flight, although an investigation is ongoing, the situation seemed to be that dumping fuel was the only way to reach a safe weight for making an emergency landing. The Tahiti to Paris flight was also at risk of running out of fuel. But if it were really cutting it close, the pilots and airline wouldn't have risked it. Passenger planes can safely land and brake to stopping at any weight that's below their allowed landing weight. It makes sense: a lighter-weight craft makes a lighter, easier landing that doesn't stress the structure of the aircraft, and the brakes and flaps are also less stressed than they are by a heavier plane. Even the heaviest plane preparing to land can't dump your luggage-or leave it behind if the weight is a concern. The Tahiti flight also likely had some wiggle room in the fact that planes with layovers are fueling for that shorter layover distance, not the full length from Tahiti to Paris-their fuel tanks probably had a lot of empty room. Carrying the right amount of fuel, instead of uniformly flying with a completely full tank, is another way airplanes manage both weight and safety. Fuel you're not carrying in the first place can never catch fire. The French airline says their Tahiti flights going forward will make a new stop in the Caribbean instead. https://www.yahoo.com/news/middle-pandemic-boeing-787-breaks-185300407.html In May, SpaceX Will Return Human Spaceflight to U.S. Soil SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule and Falcon 9 rocket hopes to ferry passengers to the ISS for the first time. • NASA and SpaceX announced that the Demo-2 flight test-the company's first crewed test of its Crew Dragon Capsule-will launch "no earlier than mid-to-late May. • The Demo-2 flight test, set to launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, will be the first crewed mission for SpaceX. • The agency maintains that the global spread of the novel coronavirus has not yet impacted the mission's timeline. SpaceX has set a launch window for its Demo-2 flight test, which will send astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley to the International Space Station aboard the company's Crew Dragon capsule and Falcon 9 rocket. "This second demonstration mission of the Crew Dragon spacecraft is another end-to-end flight test of SpaceX's human spaceflight system, which will include launch, docking, splashdown and recovery operations," NASA announced in a media advisory. They are "currently targeting no earlier than mid-to-late May for launch." The rocket will launch from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA's Kennedy Space Flight Center in Florida. Despite the global spread of the novel coronavirus, NASA has insisted that the timeline of the mission has not been impacted. Business Insider reported earlier this month that the agency has limited its contact with Behnken, Hurley, and backup Kjell Lindgren in an effort to prevent them from exposing them to COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. Since the retirement of the space shuttle mission in 2011, NASA has relied on the Russian Soyuz rockets to ferry astronauts to the ISS. Boeing is also working in partnership with NASA to provide additional transportation to the space station, but their CST-100 Starliner failed a critical test in December when it failed to reach the proper orbit and suffered a series of software anomalies. Around this time last year, Crew Dragon successfully autonomously docked with the ISS during its Demo-1 flight test. It launched from Kennedy Space Center on March 2, docked a day later, and splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean on March 8, successfully completing its mission. SpaceX successfully conducted an in-flight abort test for Crew Dragon earlier this year. "This mission will be the return of human spaceflight launch capabilities to the United States and the first launch of American astronauts aboard an American rocket and spacecraft since the final space shuttle mission on July 8, 2011." the statement read. https://www.popularmechanics.com/space/rockets/a31782292/may-spacex-crew-dragon-demo-2/ Curt Lewis