This graduate of The Citadel takes to the stars on Friday

The Citadel Class of 1989 graduate, astronaut and Marine Corps Col. Randy Bresnik will set off for the International Space Station on Friday.

Bresnik, the first alumnus of The Citadel to fly in space, will command NASA’s 53rd expedition aboard the station after first serving as flight engineer during the second part of Expedition 52. It will be his second journey to space. He has been training for his mission to the ISS since last year, with his efforts chronicled in the blog of 2nd Lt. Angelica McNerny, a more recent graduate of the military college in Charleston.

You can watch Bresnik take flight from the comfort of your home on NASA TV starting at 10:30 a.m., with pre-launch preparations.

The launch will be shown live at 11:41 a.m., followed immediately by post-launch interviews.

Coverage will continue at 5 p.m. as the Soyuz spacecraft carrying Bresnik docks with the ISS, and at 7 p.m. there will be a welcoming ceremony for the station’s new crew.

NASA TV is available online and through some cable providers.

This story was originally published July 27, 2017 at 3:25 PM with the headline "This graduate of The Citadel takes to the stars on Friday."