Illinois Football - Mike Hopkins SpaceX Crew - 2020

Former Illini Football Captain Hopkins Returns to Space

Feature

November 15, 2020

Former Illinois football captain Mike Hopkins (@Astro_Illini) commands a NASA space mission that launched on Sunday night.

SpaceX Crew-1 astronauts Shannon Walker, Victor Glover, Michael Hopkins, and Soichi Noguchi wave to the crowd before heading to the launch pad Sunday, November 15, 2020. The four will ride a Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station.

Space X Nasa Crew 1 Launch

Nov 15, 2020; Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA; SpaceX Crew-1 astronauts Shannon Walker, and Michael Hopkins stand before family and coworkers before heading to the launch pad Sunday, November 15, 2020. They will join Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi and Victor Glover aboard a Falcon 9 rocket headed to the International Space Station. Mandatory Credit: Craig Bailey-USA TODAY NETWORK

Nov 15, 2020; Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA; A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from pad 39A at on Sunday, Nov. 15, 2020. The rocket is carrying NASA astronauts Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover, Shannon Walker and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Soichi Noguchi to the International Space Station. Mandatory Credit: Craig Bailey-USA TODAY NETWORK

Nov 15, 2020; Cape Canaveral, FL, USA; A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from pad 39A at Kennedy Space. Center, FL Sunday, Nov. 15, 2020. The rocket is carrying NASA astronauts Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover, Shannon Walker and Japan Aerospace Exploration
Agency (JAXA) astronaut Soichi Noguchi to the International Space Station. Mandatory Credit: Craig Bailey/FLORIDA TODAY via USA TODAY NETWORK

Nov 15, 2020; Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA; Crowds on the beach in Cape Canaveral watch the launch of the SpaceX Falcon 9 Crew Dragon on its Crew-1 mission carrying four astronauts. The rocket was launched from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center at 7:27 p.m. Sunday evening. Mandatory Credit: Malcolm Denemark/Florida Today via USA TODAY NETWORK

Photos from USA Today

Game day! https://t.co/HonEy61Io7
— Mike Hopkins (@Astro_illini) November 15, 2020

The flight is SpaceX's first operational mission of its Dragon crew capsule, called Crew-1. The spacecraft is bound for the International Space Station. The mission will last about six months. Read more about the mission here.

Before launching at 7:27 p.m. ET, the SpaceX Crew-1 crew has some items on their to-do list.

?? They'll eat
??? Attend a weather briefing
????? Suit up
?? and depart for the pad

As the crew prepares for liftoff, how are you getting excited for launch? Show us using #LaunchAmerica! pic.twitter.com/OTWzVtoIGL
— Johnson Space Center (@NASA_Johnson) November 15, 2020

Welcome to Launch Day ??#LaunchAmerica coverage on https://t.co/mzKW5uDsTi starts at 3:15pm ET. Liftoff is at 7:27pm ET.

The latest weather forecast stands at 50% favorable for NASA's @SpaceX Crew-1 mission to the @Space_Station. pic.twitter.com/pOht9Cri2A
— NASA (@NASA) November 15, 2020

It's the second spaceflight for Hopkins, returning to orbit for the first time since 2013, when he took the below spacewalk selfie.

Illinois Football - Mike Hopkins 2013 Spacewalk Selfie

A native of Lebanon, Missouri, Hopkins joined the Fighting Illini in 1987 as a walk-on defensive back. From that unassuming start, Hopkins became one of the great Fighting Illini success stories, earning first-team Academic All-America honors, being named a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection, and earning the George Huff Award during his career with the Illini. He's a four-year letterwinner and former team captain. Hopkins helped lead the Fighting Illini to the 1990 Big Ten co-championship and four consecutive bowl appearances from 1988-91.

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