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SpaceX To Present Manned Dragon Capsule
camperdave (969942) writes "SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is set to unveil the Dragon V2 at a media event from Hawthorne, California, tonight at 7 pm. Pacific. The 'Dragon V2' is an upgraded, man rated version of the unmanned spaceship that has made several successful cargo trips to the International Space Station. The new craft will carry a mix of cargo and up to a seven crewmembers to the ISS. According to Musk, this is 'Actual flight design hardware of crew Dragon, not a mockup.' Following the space shuttle's forced retirement in 2011, US astronauts have been totally dependent on the Russian Soyuz capsules for ferry rides to orbit and back. The crisis in Ukraine, which has resulted in some U.S. economic sanctions imposed against Russia, also has the potential to threaten U.S. access to the ISS as the Russian government considers reciprocal sanctions of its own.
'Sounds like this might be a good time to unveil the new Dragon Mk 2 spaceship that @SpaceX has been working on with @NASA,' Musk tweeted. SpaceX is one of three commercial space companies competing for funding from NASA's Commercial Crew Transportation Capability program."
(You can watch the event as a webcast.)
I can't wait for SpaceX to take us to the moon.
Transport seven crew to the ISS? Well, I'm impressed!
...right before the tragic accident.
I guess I should use the term "duomaniac", since his threadshitting obsession seems to focus on both spaceflight and 3D printing.
The prospect of an actual commercial manned space industry just might be enough to finally push him over the edge.
NASA holding onto an out-moded Space Shuttle design, crimped the US's space efforts for decades.
Welcome to the Space X Dragon and someone finally with GUTS; Elon Musk.
Let's get this baby loaded, do a couple unmanned tests, including the crew escape system and lets roll.
I have to imagine if you're the Russian Space Agency this has to be very unwelcome news.
Yes Francis, the world has gone crazy.
Musk is actually a huge Obama supporter, and Obama has been seen talking to, giving praise to, and visiting with Elon Musk. SpaceX and Elon Musk have been a huge part of the Obama Space Strategy. Any anti-obama sentiment comes from the ending of Republican-politican-approved programs, such as the Space Shuttle through companies like ATK and Boeing.
Sig: I stole this sig.
It's hard to tell from the picture, but they looked lined up. What happens if a front seat rider spews during take off. I'd hate to be seated below.
The 'Dragon V2' is an upgraded, man rated version of the unmanned spaceship that has made several successful cargo trips to the International Space Station.
The Dragon V2: Strong enough for a man, gyroscopically balanced for a woman!
Nasa talks like that. Musk knows his audience. http://history.nasa.gov/SP-420...
09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0
It's short for human rated. http://nodis3.gsfc.nasa.gov/displayDir.cfm?Internal_ID=N_PR_8705_002B_ And that's the NASA standards document laying out all the requirements for same.
Posting as AC as I'm at work.
Sorry if this was already asked but I only occasionally visit this site and it seems like there are far fewer comments and insights here. Is there some sort of boycott going on over the new format?
Actually, my quibble isn't with the gender connotations of the statement, but with the verb tense of the statement. The V2 hasn't, as far as I know, actually received certification for manned space flight. Rather, it has been designed (and probably some testing complete) to be able to receive such a rating.
It hasn't been rated yet, just that it could be and is intended to be. In that sense, it is more accurate to call it "man ratable" (the subjunctive tense) rather than "man rated" (past tense).
His name has always sounded like some kind of cologne.
NASA is helping SpaceX. Is Boeing a branch of the Federal Government? How is now different from before?
given the incidents in which Russia is posing like the Bad Old Days are back, we need at least two operating alternatives to their facilities.
if this is supposed to be a new economy, how come they still want my old fashioned money?
Actually, my quibble isn't with the gender connotations of the statement, but with the verb tense of the statement. The V2 hasn't, as far as I know, actually received certification for manned space flight.
Nor did the shuttle, as far as I'm aware. Certainly it couldn't meet NASA's current requirements for commercial crew (1 in 500 loss on ascent and 1 in 500 loss on descent, according to Wikipedia).
Chairs and cabin look like on Soyuz space ship.
Really? I'm the first person to mention this? Before you decide to mod me into oblivion yes, it's on topic. Go watch Machete Kills
back in the days "man-rated" meant the ICBM was modified to not shake the man apart in pogo oscillations and speed the capsule up to 17,500 mph.
mfwright@batnet.com
I want to see someone get Musk's full opinion of Obama, say, two years from now...
I've read that Musk contributes to both Republicans and Democrats (but more to Dems IIRC). Dude understands that the reality of the world is that certain wheels need to be greased, especially if what you're doing will rock certain boats.
"Mind, as manifested by the capacity to make choices, is to some extent present in every electron." -Freeman Dyson
It's currently certified to dock with ISS which means it's already met 85-90% of the requirements towards NASA's "manned-rating". So for the current Dragon capsule to start carrying astronauts is not really a big leap. They're already done 90% (really 100%) of the work towards carrying astronauts.
Nah man. For one the Space Shuttle was planned to be retired back when W was still President. It was deemed necessary to retire it to save money for the abortive uber expensive Ares rocket that NASA Administrator Mike Griffin was pushing. When Obama got into power most of the Shuttle maintenance facilities had already been closed down like the rocket engine manufacturing and refurbishing plant. Little he could do but cancel it as scheduled at that point. The plan was always to rely on Soyuz launches until an alternative vehicle could be developed.
There is broad bi-partisan support for the SLS rocket (Ares Strikes Back) in the Senate against Obama's wishes and those people in the Senate are those opposing his space policy. Which was to privatize the ISS launch services and rethink how to do Moon and Mars exploration in an economically sustainable way.
The Senate basically cut the funding for the Commercial Crew program. Setting back for like 2 years a US crew transportation vehicle to the ISS and sploshed it all down on SLS
Thank God someone does not do this politically correct BULLSHIT.
I still remember when Mankind was used as a word.
Mother Russia shoots down cheap american copy of Soyuz flown over 48 years ago, wheels of capitalism turn wery slowly
99% done. All that is left are 2 launch tests (on ground and at maxQ), and to finish documentation.
50%, 90%, 99%. I stand by my original statement: it is "man-ratable", and not yet "man-rated". I fully expect that they've done their homework and will, after additional flight demonstrations, receive the certification. But they haven't gotten it yet.