Mission Alpha
A Mission Alpha is a dry run for the year's Main Mission, and is a full-class training mission.
Historical
Missions Alpha were typically run about 1 month before the actual mission, lasting about 4–6 hours in duration. The purpose was to test out all equipment, and discover any problems or areas lacking proper planning. It also was an excellent opportunity to test the level of training for both Astronauts and Mission Control staff. This practice was first started by Mission Commanders Daniel Kekez and Jamie Rosen for the Jupiter 1998 mission.
In the 2001-02 year, a Mission Beta was run. The Mission Alpha occurred while the Habitat was still under construction, and as such a second dry run was needed closer to the mission date.
Mini Missions
Mission Alpha is a Training Mission and thus should not be confused with Mini Missions.
List of Missions Alpha
Year | Mission Name | Destination |
---|---|---|
1997-98 | Mission Alpha | Unknown |
2001-02 | Mission Alpha | Unknown |
2001-02 | Mission Beta | Unknown |
2005-06 | Daedalus | Venus |
2006-07 | Mission Alpha | Pluto |