All Aboard! Astronauts Climb Into Dragon for NASA Crewed Mission

All Aboard! Astronauts Climb Into Dragon for NASA Crewed Mission

NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney walk through the crew access arm connecting the launch tower to the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft ahead NASA's SpaceX Crew-13 mission launch to the International Space Station on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026.

NASA

NASA's SpaceX Crew-13 crew members now are boarding SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft.

Before entering the spacecraft, all four crewmates signed their names inside the White Room, the area at the end of the crew access arm that leads to the spacecraft. The term "White Room" dates back to NASA's Gemini program, and to honor this human spaceflight tradition, the room is still painted white today.

As the crew members enter Dragon, their seats are configured in an upright position. Once the crew is securely inside, the seats will be rotated into a reclined position for launch. Teams then will close Dragon's side hatch, coming up near the top of the hour.