SpaceX Crew Dragon docks at International Space Station
- Reference: 1590997327
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/06/01/spacex_crew_dragon_docks_at_iss/
- Source link:
The flight and docking appear to have gone off without a hitch. Astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley even managed to get some sleep during their 19-hour journey to the ISS, thanks to what they said was impressive ventilation in the privately built capsule.
Docking was as straightforward as can be expected when mating two vehicles that are travelling at 17,000 km/h (but of course at far less than that relative to one another, which is what matters).
Dragon ~60 meters away from the [1]@space_station [2]pic.twitter.com/5hjJxYyZpl — SpaceX (@SpaceX) [3]May 31, 2020
This is the first time in human history [4]@NASA_Astronauts have entered the [5]@Space_Station from a commercially-made spacecraft. [6]@AstroBehnken and [7]@Astro_Doug have finally arrived to the orbiting laboratory in [8]@SpaceX 's Dragon Endeavour spacecraft. [9]pic.twitter.com/3t9Ogtpik4 — NASA (@NASA) [10]May 31, 2020
“We’re just happy to be here and Chris [Cassidy] is going to put us work. And hopefully we will fit in and not mess too many things up.” [11]@Astro_Doug on him and [12]@AstroBehnken being the newest crew members of the [13]@Space_Station . [14]pic.twitter.com/Y5xZJFn2As — NASA (@NASA) [15]May 31, 2020
The arrival of Crew Dragon means the ISS currently has five docked spaceships. Crew Dragon will spend up to 111 days at the ISS.
The [16]@SpaceX [17]#CrewDragon makes five spaceships parked at the station. [18]https://t.co/lLZYDJUn1N [19]pic.twitter.com/la06vhjgOW — Intl. Space Station (@Space_Station) [20]May 31, 2020
While the mission's most prominent achievements are its status as the first US-powered mission taking humans to space in nine years, and in a private vehicle at that, SpaceX landed the Falcon 9 rocket used in this launch so it can be reused.
We'll ignore the fact that SpaceX also [21]blew up a rocket last Friday . ®
[1] https://twitter.com/Space_Station?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[2] https://t.co/5hjJxYyZpl
[3] https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1267095775625875456?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[4] https://twitter.com/NASA_Astronauts?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[5] https://twitter.com/Space_Station?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[6] https://twitter.com/AstroBehnken?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[7] https://twitter.com/Astro_Doug?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[8] https://twitter.com/SpaceX?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[9] https://t.co/3t9Ogtpik4
[10] https://twitter.com/NASA/status/1267144838153211905?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[11] https://twitter.com/Astro_Doug?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[12] https://twitter.com/AstroBehnken?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[13] https://twitter.com/Space_Station?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[14] https://t.co/Y5xZJFn2As
[15] https://twitter.com/NASA/status/1267153690789654528?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[16] https://twitter.com/SpaceX?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[17] https://twitter.com/hashtag/CrewDragon?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[18] https://t.co/lLZYDJUn1N
[19] https://t.co/la06vhjgOW
[20] https://twitter.com/Space_Station/status/1267112590272012289?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[21] https://www.theregister.com/2020/05/30/spacex_starship_prototype_explosion/
Re: Perhaps
Or, as they say, 'pour encourager les autres.'
I must admit, I'd always assumed that line was about the French, but after checking just now, it turns out it was written by Voltaire, about the British, instead.
SpaceX landed the Falcon 9 rocket used in this launch so it can be re-used.
I suspect it will be going to a museum rather than being reused.
Correct me if I’m wrong
But isn’t it the first manned capsule to have been designed since the ‘70s? That’s more impressive to me than the 9 year stat that always gets bandied around.
Re: Correct me if I’m wrong
I'm sure many have been designed in that time; it's just that very few have actually been built, even fewer tested and just this one actually used.
Re: Correct me if I’m wrong
Successfully designed, built and launched. It was rather heavily implied, but the full clause made the original post awkward to read. My point stands though. Soyuz is a ‘60s design, Shuttle came from the ‘70s and since then nada.
Re: Correct me if I’m wrong
Well it's a little unfair. The Chinese Shenzou is Soyuz based, but larger, and was designed in the 1990s. Virgin's Spaceship 2 technically was the first post-shuttle manned space flight post-shuttle, albeit sub-orbital.
Re: Correct me if I’m wrong
Here's your correction there's a [1]reason for that number 2.
[1] https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/spaceshipone/nasm_A20050459000
Re: Correct me if I’m wrong
Even then, there was the Orion capsule which was designed, built, and then launched in 2014, just without anyone on board, and it only did one orbit. I happened to be one of what I assume is a rather small number of people to see it in orbit myself in that time, living in just the right place for it at that time.
Re: Correct me if I’m wrong
But isn’t it the first manned capsule to have been designed since the ‘70s? That’s more impressive to me than the 9 year stat that always gets bandied around.
Put it this way. It's only the 9th vehicle to have carried humans to space (and the first privately developed one).
* Vostok
* Voskhod
* Mercury
* Gemini
* Apollo
* Soyuz (albeit various iterations/versions)
* Shuttle
* Shenzhou
* Crew Dragon
this is only half the trip
It also needs to land safely
Re: this is only half the trip
Landing is MUCH easier.
Going up involves controlling a massive explosion and directing it appropriately. Coming down has gravity doing most of the work and they just have to control the direction.
Re: this is only half the trip
From up, the only direction available is 'down'.
Re: this is only half the trip
> Landing is MUCH easier.
Just ask Jaws and Dolly!
Re: this is only half the trip
She got a name? I honestly had no idea. Did it come from the credits, the novel, or was it given to her by the fans?
Re: this is only half the trip
Landing, "coming down again", isn't as easy as you'd expect. To increase your orbit you add velocity, to decrease you slow your velocity. What happens when gravity effects the rate of descent? The capsule gains velocity. "Coming down again" might actually be more difficult (relatively speaking) than going up.
Re: this is only half the trip
Not exactly on point, but I'll stick this link in here:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jb4prVsXkZU
Why the delay?
Well done to everyone involved, but why did it take 3 hours from docking to opening the hatch, did they forget the key?
I know they needed to equalise the pressure and temperature, but I would think that 10 - 15 minutes would be enough for that.
Re: Why the delay?
I'm not from NASA, but I believe they need to pressurise the "vestibule" (the gap between the ISS hatch and the dragon hatch) for long enough to understand the leak rate to vacuum.
The outside of the dragon hatch was in sunlight for (probably) about an hour prior to attaching to the ISS, and therefore quite hot. (could be as much as 100 to 150 degrees, even with a clever paint material.) They therefore have to pressurise the vestibule for long enough that they have ruled out any pressure changes due to the temperature dropping to something reasonable, and log data for long enough to know that there is a good enough seal between the capsule and ISS. (There will be a leak of air to space, it just has to be at a low enough rate not to worry about.)
Re: Why the delay?
From experience, the most likely explanation is that despite being expected and on schedule, everyone indoors was asleep and it took three hours to wake the bastards up to open the door.
They can't just drop a "sorry we missed you" card and bugger off like everyone else who finds that they're delivering to inconsiderate idiots.
Re: Why the delay?
I think AC has the correct detailed answer. But, speaking in general terms, I think that any time you do anything for the first time in space, no matter how certain you are that it's going to work, you do it as slowly and as accurately as you possibly can, and pause frequently to document everything. If it's mind-numbingly boring, you know you're doing it right.
Even the aircon worked...
...and no inconveniently invisible articulated trucks to avoid en route, so the autopilot worked too,
I rarely worry about the air conditioning but the ICE (In Capsule Entertainment) should have decent selection to choose from.
Starship at the moment is/was fuel tanks and an engine. So not really comparable.
If your adding Virgin Galactic's sub-orbital vehicle, then Blue Origin's Capsule should also be mentioned.
Perhaps
They blew up the other rocket just to threaten this one into behaving. Seems to have worked!