Former Illini Football Captain Hopkins Returns to Space
Feature
11/15/2020
Former Illinois football captain Mike Hopkins (@Astro_Illini) commands a NASA space mission that launched on Sunday night.
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.
— Johnson Space Center (@NASA_Johnson) November 15, 2020
?? 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
Welcome to Launch Day ??#LaunchAmerica coverage on https://t.co/mzKW5uDsTi starts at 3:15pm ET. Liftoff is at 7:27pm ET.
— NASA (@NASA) November 15, 2020
The latest weather forecast stands at 50% favorable for NASA's @SpaceX Crew-1 mission to the @Space_Station. pic.twitter.com/pOht9Cri2A
It's the second spaceflight for Hopkins, returning to orbit for the first time since 2013, when he took the below 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.
