SpaceX Crew Dragon Launched
SpaceX Launches First NASA Commercial Crew Demonstration Mission
“For the first time in history, a commercially-built and operated American crew spacecraft and rocket, which launched from American soil, is on its way to the International Space Station. The SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft lifted off at 2:49 a.m. EST Saturday on the company’s Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.”
Congratulations on another really great launch!
And 1st stage landing.
And Dragon 2 successfully docking with ISS.
Just. Like. Clockwork.
Well done SpaceX proving once again you are the best !! Was a spectactular launch from Pad 39
And they finally got a real-time drone-ship touchdown video!
Did you notice the “octograbber”? Device to lock onto the booster just after touchdown came in handy when the OCISLY was pitched 5% (it seems to move a bit slow, though).
Pasted from Teslarati.com; I don’t think I have the hang of pasting video yet):
https://twitter.com/spaceco…
Epic and historic.
Here’s something though…since the Superdracos will now never be used for powered landings, and since Elon said that they may present a flight risk for atmospheric reentry, are they now an over-engineered Achilles Heel?
I’m pretty sure they are a lot more expensive to build and flight prep than the solid rocket engine escape tower, and would be more dangerous to have in the system because of the type of fuel that they use. They are reusable…refliable might be a better term…but each Dragon capsule might not be used enough times to make up the difference between them and the escape rockets used traditionally.
You do get them back at the end of the mission. So the capsule can be refurbished and flown again. So, the more times you fly a particular Dragon 2, the more money you save on the abort hardware (which is normally expendable).
Of course, NASA would have to approve reuse of Dragon 2 for crew, which they’ve not done yet. Current plans call for Dragon 2 capsules to be reused for cargo missions to ISS.
I might call it an appendix, not an Achilles’ heel. It no longer serves a very useful purpose and has some potential to cause a problem. But I don’t see it as a fatal flaw and getting rid of them isn’t worth the redesign and recertification.
Sadly true; I suppose we all remember Elon’s presentation of the Super Draco, and the way they are manufactured. He was just like a kid. Or is like a kid…
Solid rocket escape towers are jettisoned on the way to orbit, leaving the capsule with only ballistic trajectory escape options. Not so with the super dracos. The delta V can be used to shape your target landing zone.
Also, the fuel in the Dragon2 could be used for other things once orbit has been reached. This would be a non-trivial additional resource for ISS boost. This is not “certified” yet by NASA, so it may not be used that way, but it is an obvious benefit.
Lastly, while currently there are no plans for Dragon to used by non-NASA customers,– then again, with Elon, plans change. If that is the case, I hope that powered landing reappears.
Really? I thought the Super Draco’s used hypergolic fuel. Unless you mean they will use the super Draco’s for orbital maneuvers?
Not the superDracos themselves, that’s too much thrust … but the fuel can be used by the other thrusters on the dragon
I didn’t know that the other thrusters used hypergolics.
I predict a time soon when we’ll be a lot more interested in the payload than the booster landing. In fact that happened for me on this launch.
I hope so. The last time you were on an airplane, did you either know or care what the tail number was? I have strong opinions about the model (e.g. 787 versus 767) but barely notice the block number and the tail number is way below my horizon. In the case of spaceflight, I hope we’re moving into a world where what is being launched matters more than how it is launched.
Excellent work, SpaceX. It looks everything is proceeding exactly as planned. Now we just need a successful re-entry, splashdown, and recover off the coast of Florida.
Musk has apparently said that the inflight abort test could happen as soon as April, at least that’s what was reported at SpaceFlightInsider.com.
I wonder what the Russians are thinking about their soonish to be decreased income from US astronauts flying to the ISS?
I say screw ’em.
Naughty? Maybe. I support cooperation in space- including with the Chinese. But I don’t support kicking a partner laying on the ground.