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SpaceX One Step Closer To Launching Astronaut

BarbaraHudson writes SpaceX has passed NASA's "certification baseline review," which required the company to outline exactly how it plans to ferry crews to and from the International Space Station using the Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket under SpaceX's Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap) contract with NASA. The contract will include at least one test flight with an astronaut in the spacecraft.

70 comments

  1. this is good news by ganjadude · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I didnt expect this news for at least another year. Ever since the shuttles have retired i have been patiently waiting the day we get a new craft back up and running.

    --
    have you seen my sig? there are many others like it but none that are the same
    1. Re:this is good news by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You beat me to it. I was going to use the exact same Comment Subject wording.

  2. Re:That's will be one dead astronugh by BarbaraHudson · · Score: 1

    This astronaut is going to wind up dead. Good thing the dragon capsule doubles as a coffin.

    Do you have any idea how many people would volunteer to take the ride, even with the risks? Either way, it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

    --
    "Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
  3. Re:That's will be one dead astronugh by BarbaraHudson · · Score: 4, Informative

    Musk and everyone at space x should be executed for the murder they are going to commit.

    By that thinking, everyone at NASA should have been executed after the capsule fire that killed astronauts Grissom, White, and Chaffee.

    Astronauts know that what they are doing is fraught with risk. As one of them said, "You're sitting on millions of pounds of explosive chemicals, with thousands of parts, all made by the lowest bidder."

    The don't have to ask what could go wrong. They know. And they still go.

    --
    "Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
  4. Re:Imagine going back in time 15 years and warning by BarbaraHudson · · Score: 1

    You might want to update your thinking (or get a new tin foil hat). The Russians are the bad guys again.

    --
    "Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
  5. Re:That's will be one dead astronugh by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Because the government NEVER does anything for PROFIT...

  6. Re:That's will be one dead astronugh by ganjadude · · Score: 1

    there is stupid here thats for sure...

    --
    have you seen my sig? there are many others like it but none that are the same
  7. Re:Imagine going back in time 15 years and warning by gurps_npc · · Score: 1
    People would laugh at you and call you crazy. And they should. Because if you truly believe some of this junk, you are.

    Which is a real pity because your format could have been either brilliant social commentary or very funny, depending on if you either stuck to the god's honest truth, or just exaggerated things a bit more.

    --
    excitingthingstodo.blogspot.com
  8. Re:That's will be one dead astronugh by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    nobody is going to die, why would you even think that?

    personally i would jump at the chance to be the test pilot.

    why does everyone think NASA is the only group who can put people into space safely?

    space x has won awards just for their safety.
    http://www.parabolicarc.com/2014/10/14/spacex-wins-safety-award/

    yeah, and check this out.

    "overall chance of casualties from launch and landing activities of its Dragon capsule at 30-in-1 million -- the same odds for similar NASA and military space operations, said Hank Price, spokesman for the FAA's Office of Commercial Space Transportation."
    http://news.discovery.com/space/spacex-dragon-capsule-safety.htm

    statistically you are more likely to die in a car crash.
    http://www.besthealthdegrees.com/health-risks/

  9. Re:That's will be one dead astronugh by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    By definition of government and profit, that's correct.

  10. Re:That's will be one dead astronugh by BarbaraHudson · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Musk and everyone at space x should be executed for the murder they are going to commit.

    By that thinking, everyone at NASA should have been executed after the capsule fire that killed astronauts Grissom, White, and Chaffee.

    That's was as an accident by a government agency. Space x is going to commit murder for profit. If you're too stupid to understand the difference you should be executed along side them.

    So nominate me to make the flight. If it blows up, you get what you want. If it doesn't, I get what I want. Either way, we ultimately advance our knowledge and capabilities.

    --
    "Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
  11. 7 seats on the Dragon by Spy+Handler · · Score: 2

    but they only send up 3 people at a time to ISS. Seems like a waste. They should set up a lottery for an extra person or two, seems reasonable. I'll buy some tickets.

    1. Re:7 seats on the Dragon by Scottingham · · Score: 2

      The dragon will be in service much longer than the ISS. SpaceX is playing the long game.

      I'm also excited to see a future where returning astronauts no longer have to be plucked out of the ocean (old school capsules) or have a really hard landing in a cornfield (soyuz). The super-draco engines on the dragon v2 are designed to be used as retro-rockets so the capsule could land anywhere (softly!) with pinpoint accuracy. Of course, it still can drop into the ocean safely if the engines aren't nominal.

    2. Re:7 seats on the Dragon by Megane · · Score: 1

      Shuttle missions took 7 people up to swap 3 people on ISS, was that a waste too? After the initial missions, I would not be surprised if they send up extra people who stay a week and go down on the old capsule with the previous station crew. They just have to swap some seats around. (Each astronaut currently gets a custom Soyuz seat molded specifically for his or her own butt.)

      --
      #naabhaprzrag, #sverubfr-000, #agi-fcbafberq, negvpyr[pynff*=' negvpyr-ary-'] { qvfcynl: abar !vzcbegnag; }
    3. Re:7 seats on the Dragon by caseih · · Score: 1

      Each astronaut who flies on the Soyuz, even if it's just a return journey, has to be trained and checked out in Russia for these craft. Though most landings happen without incident, it's not some simple, routine thing to land in Soyuz. Things can and do go wrong, and each person in Soyuz has to know what to do. So even crew members that arrived on the shuttle had to be checked out on the Soyuz, whether that was for escape purposes, or for the regular ride home. The same thing would be required for crew the Dragon ferries up.

      I'm not sure how long Dragon is allowed to remain in space. Would be nice if they could use it as an emergency exit as well.

    4. Re:7 seats on the Dragon by BarbaraHudson · · Score: 2

      >

      I'm not sure how long Dragon is allowed to remain in space. Would be nice if they could use it as an emergency exit as well.

      The last paragraph in the article:

      Dragon is expected to last up to 210 days while docked to the International Space Station, providing an escape route if astronauts need to leave the orbiting complex quickly.

      You're welcome, and happy 2015 :-)

      --
      "Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
    5. Re:7 seats on the Dragon by jfdavis668 · · Score: 1

      If you don't mind sitting in the back of the capsule, not breathing or eating, for 250 days.

  12. Re:That's will be one dead astronugh by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Yea, those odds are pure bullshit. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_accidents_and_incidents

    There have been 18 deaths, and I don't think we've launched a million spacecraft yet.

  13. Re:That's will be one dead astronugh by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Drug addicts like you should be tied to the launch pad underneath the engines. The world will be a better place when you and your ilk are all dead.

  14. Re:That's will be one dead astronugh by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Why're ya avoiding & downmodding this Barb http://slashdot.org/comments.p... ? You troll apk http://tech.slashdot.org/comme... n' you can't back it up? Yes..

  15. Re:That's will be one dead astronugh by samwhite_y · · Score: 1

    I agree with your sentiments. However, I suspect the original poster (as Anonymous) to be a troll and doesn't actually believe whatever he/she is posting. It has all the characteristic signs. A short simple statement that is clearly just plain nuts that is designed to provoke outraged response.

  16. Re:That's will be one dead astronugh by ArmoredDragon · · Score: 1

    I remember a quote from Neil Armstrong saying that he felt there'd only be a 50% chance that he'd actually be able to land on the moon successfully (a failed landing probably meant a slow death.)

  17. Is that what the Nazi propaganda machine told you? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I bet it was. Run along now little sheep, or you might miss CNN's/Foxnews/MSNBC/CBS/ABC latest paid parrot repeater report which will propagandize your entire worldview some more. We need more dumb animals such as yourself to repeat our scripted agendas. Thanks!

  18. Back to the 60s by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Yay!

    1. Re:Back to the 60s by Mysticalfruit · · Score: 1

      Yeah, because in the 60's we were building reusable rockets that were autonomously landing on robotic ships in the ocean... oh wait.

      --
      Yes Francis, the world has gone crazy.
    2. Re:Back to the 60s by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      In the '60s we had enough workforce and disposable income to build rockets with western engineers right here and do it right.

    3. Re:Back to the 60s by camperdave · · Score: 1

      In the '60s we had enough workforce and disposable income to build rockets with western engineers right here and do it right.

      Western engineers like Wernher Von Braun and his buddies?

      --
      When our name is on the back of your car, we're behind you all the way!
    4. Re:Back to the 60s by hackertourist · · Score: 1

      A few dozen Germans, on a workforce exceeding 100,000 at the height of the Apollo program.

    5. Re:Back to the 60s by linzello · · Score: 1

      Yes, they are Western engineers. I'm guessing you're from the US and assume the Western only refers to Americas. Actually it was Europe that was considered the west first and America was added on later (as a kind of after thought)...
      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W...

    6. Re:Back to the 60s by jabuzz · · Score: 1

      In what definition of western is Germany and hence Von Braun not included?

    7. Re: Back to the 60s by WindBourne · · Score: 1

      And we are back doing it again. So far, F9 is the safest rocket ever flown.

      --
      I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
    8. Re:Back to the 60s by camperdave · · Score: 1
      Well, for starters, what hemisphere they're in. However, that isn't the point. To me, the tone of the ancestral post wasn't east vs west, but foreign vs domestic:

      In the '60s we had enough workforce and disposable income to build rockets with western engineers right here and do it right.

      Well, some of those "western engineers" weren't from "right here" and weren't part of "we".

      --
      When our name is on the back of your car, we're behind you all the way!
  19. Re:That's will be one dead astronugh by davester666 · · Score: 1

    So, your concern is that the spaceship was assembled by a for-profit company instead of a government agency? Because pretty a whole bunch of the parts for NASA spacecraft are made by for-profit companies...this is part of the pork-barrelling of NASA, by making them buy parts from companies all over the US, regardless of who could make the best part or an adequate part for less.

    --
    Sleep your way to a whiter smile...date a dentist!
  20. Re:That's will be one dead astronugh by ganjadude · · Score: 1

    ahhh yes, you look at my name and instantly i am a drug addict. Grow up. educate yourself a bit and you might not look like such an idiot

    --
    have you seen my sig? there are many others like it but none that are the same
  21. Re:That's will be one dead astronugh by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Brilliant solution, murder some more people. You'd probably want to have them shot even before anything goes wrong and then even if it works just fine to be sure.

  22. Re:Imagine going back in time 15 years and warning by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You stupid Americans are so clueless it is beyond believe. A lot of people don't even like the Russians but even they can see the contrast today.

    Your entire nation is a lie.

  23. Re:That's will be one dead astronugh by steelfood · · Score: 1

    That's what this country has turned into: a bunch of cowards. And worse, they're the special bunch of cowards who are jealous of the people who stick their necks out and try to chop it off at first chance.

    --
    "If a nation expects to be ignorant and free in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be."
  24. Re:That's will be one dead astronugh by Noah+Haders · · Score: 1

    Trollope. At worstif they it a lot of corners and compromised savety it could be negligent manslaughter. But if they practiced reasonable care then it is merely an accident.

  25. Re:That's will be one dead astronugh by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Ya'll posting in a troll thread.

  26. Re:That's will be one dead astronugh by cytg.net · · Score: 1

    Just trolls ... /. should really autohide anything that is voted negative AND is AC.

  27. Re:That's will be one dead astronugh by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Hmmm...

    And what did we do with the folks at Ford that decided against correcting the know problem in the Pinto?

    (and "execution" is just another name for homicide.)

  28. Re:That's will be one dead astronugh by BarbaraHudson · · Score: 1

    Given the reply to your post, I do believe you're right. I wonder though - do troll hides make good ablative shielding?

    --
    "Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
  29. Re:That's will be one dead astronugh by BarbaraHudson · · Score: 1

    You know, this would make an interesting slashdot poll. "Would you volunteer to go on SpaceX's first manned flight?"

    [_] Yes.
    [_] Hell,. yes.
    [_] I just volunteered my boss.
    [_] Anything to get away from my ex.
    [_] Does it come with free flight insurance?
    [_] Depends - do I have to be groped by a TSA droid?
    [_] Sure - it's not like they can be worse at losing my luggage.
    [_] I was okay with it until I heard their theme song was David Bowie's "Space Oddity"
    [_] CowboyNeil already tried to boost me into orbit.
    [_] I can do "spam in a can."

    The lure of the great adventure has always attracted the curious.

    --
    "Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
  30. Re:That's will be one dead astronugh by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    As a drug addict i take serious offense as being categorized with that guy, you insensitive clod.

  31. Re:Imagine going back in time 15 years and warning by BarbaraHudson · · Score: 1

    You stupid Americans are so clueless it is beyond believe. A lot of people don't even like the Russians but even they can see the contrast today.

    Your entire nation is a lie.

    I am NOT from, or living in, the USA. Replacing a gang of thugs with a gang of crooks doesn't look much different.

    --
    "Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
  32. Re:That's will be one dead astronugh by BarbaraHudson · · Score: 1

    Just trolls ... /. should really autohide anything that is voted negative AND is AC.

    But then APK would have to get an account to crap-flood multiple times after most of my posts, so his posts would start out visible to many others. This way, anyone who isn't logged in doesn't see them, same as anyone who uses the Simply Slashdot app, and he still gets to waste his time, which means he isn't doing it to someone else. "It's a tough job, but someone has to keep him from playing in traffic" :-)

    --
    "Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
  33. Re:Imagine going back in time 15 years and warning by occasional_dabbler · · Score: 1

    Putin is no angel, but under his watch Russia has been a far better world citizen than the USA, by any measure.

    --
    "Our opponent is an alien starship packed with atomic bombs," I said. "we have a protractor"
  34. Re:That's will be one dead astronugh by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · Score: 1

    We've noticed. But, on a related note, have you noticed how everyone suddenly sprang into activity once SpaceX muddled the waters? Suddenly, there's the "twice cheaper" Ariane 6 in the works, suddenly there's a replacement for the RD-180 in the works... Suddenly things are possible. How nicely timed indeed. :D

    --
    Ezekiel 23:20
  35. Re:That's will be one dead astronugh by thrich81 · · Score: 1

    Maybe the astronauts know and accept the risks of their chosen profession but their families don't seem to. Google up "Apollo 1 Lawsuit", "Challenger Space Shuttle Settlement" or "Columbia Space Shuttle Settlement". In every case either NASA or a NASA contractor paid off the families, $26.6 million in the Columbia case. Legal actions were initiated after each disaster.

  36. Re:That's will be one dead astronugh by KingOfBLASH · · Score: 1

    There's a great ted talk by a real astronaut on the risks. 1 in 40 chance of dying, and why he still makes the flight:

    Ted Talks

  37. Re:That's will be one dead astronugh by petermgreen · · Score: 1

    The GP post is clearly bullshit, it's in no way in spacex's interests to deliberately kill an astronaut, especially given that the government has multiple contractors working independently on commercial crew transport. However I have a feeling you are being overoptimistic.

    overall chance of casualties from launch and landing activities of its Dragon capsule at 30-in-1 million

    NASA management came out with similar figures for the space shuttle. http://sunnyday.mit.edu/accide...

    Yet the actual crew loss rate for manned space vehicles has been in the single digit percentages. The space shuttle has had two crew loss failures and according to wikipedia has had 135 launches putting the credw loss rate at about 1.5%. Apollo had one crew loss incident during launch preperations and had about 17 manned missions (including skylab, appollo-soyuz and the aforementioned failure on the pad) putting the crew loss rate at about 5.9%. Soyuz has had 124 manned launches and has had two crew loss failures putting it's crew loss failure rate at about 1.6%.

    Hopefully both failure analysis and our understanding of spaceship components have improved, but i'd still consider a figire two orders of manitude better than previous vehicles hard to belive without substantial data from actual flights.

    --
    note: i'm known as plugwash most places but i screwd up registering that here somehow in the past and now can't register
  38. Re:That's will be one dead astronugh by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Why're ya avoiding & downmodding this Barb http://slashdot.org/comments.p... ? You troll apk http://tech.slashdot.org/comme... n' you can't back it up? Yes.

  39. Re:Imagine going back in time 15 years and warning by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Why're ya avoiding & downmodding this Barb http://slashdot.org/comments.p... ? You troll apk http://tech.slashdot.org/comme... n' you can't back it up? Yes.

  40. Re:That's will be one dead astronugh by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Why're ya avoiding & downmodding this Barb http://slashdot.org/comments.p... ? You troll apk http://tech.slashdot.org/comme... n' you can't back it up? Yes.

  41. Re:That's will be one dead astronugh by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    He's visible to me. It appears that you trolled him before he ever trolled you http://slashdot.org/comments.p... barbara, so if you're going to tell lies, learn to be smarter about it.

  42. Re:That's will be one dead astronugh by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 1

    Drug addicts like you should be tied to the launch pad underneath the engines. The world will be a better place when you and your ilk are all dead.

    Someone pee in your Wheaties, dude?

    --
    The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
  43. Caught lying: Your own words quoted... apk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "HOWTO: trolling the hosts file guy in one easy step The next time you see a post by him, just reply anonymously. And to really mess with his head, reply anonymously to your anonymous post, disagreeing with your first anon post (extra points if you claim in the second post that you're him - that REALLY sets him off)." - by tomhudson (43916) barbara.hudson@ ... a - h u dson.com on Saturday April 16, 2011 @01:38PM (#35841122)

    FROM http://slashdot.org/comments.p...

    ---

    "Wait until he starts on another kick, then reply to him as an AC. It's the new meme." - by tomhudson (43916) on Sunday May 09, 2010 @08:29PM (#32150544)

    FROM http://slashdot.org/comments.p...

    ---

    if you're going to tell this guy to stop spamming his hosts file crap, make sure you do it anonymously by tomhudson (43916) on Saturday April 16, @12:45PM (#35840680)

    FROM http://slashdot.org/comments.p...

    ---

    * Even Hairyfeet, a fairly respected member here, KNOWS you're a multiple account sockpuppeteer (see my ps below folks) & troll http://it.slashdot.org/comment... after I noted how you operate here, my pointing out b.s. like the above from you.

    As far as hosts go, Barb? You're running from this post of mine lately on that note, aren't you -> http://slashdot.org/comments.p... Yes, absolutely.

    You fail - it's your life story!

    APK

    P.S.=> BarbaraHudson http://slashdot.org/~BarbaraHu... = TomHudson http://slashdot.org/~tomhudson... (THESE PRIOR 2 SHE KEPT ACTIVE @ THE SAME TIME TO MOD UP HER OWN BS POSTS, & DOWNMOD THOSE OF OTHERS THAT DESTROY HER) = Barbara, not Barbie http://slashdot.org/~Barbara%2... you sockpuppeting troll asshole - how many more sockpuppets do you have now too I wonder?...apk

  44. Really? He caused 2 wars by coder111 · · Score: 1

    War in South Ossetia/Georgia. War in Ukraine. Ongoing civil war/occupation of Chechnya, and he played quite a big part in that. You could argue that 2nd Chechen war was effectively started in order to make Putin popular and put him in power.

    How has he been a better world citizen. He's been as bad as USA, probably more.

    And I'm not saying this to praise USA. As someone else said, this is a choice between a thug and a crook.

    Well, ok, unless you count the whole mass surveilance business. And then other shenanigans created by USA corporations. But I could argue Putin would have done the same and more, except his hands were too short- Russia is not as powerful as USA, and not as technologically advanced.

    --Coder

  45. Re: Imagine going back in time 15 years and warnin by WindBourne · · Score: 1

    Really? In what way?

    --
    I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
  46. Re:That's will be one dead astronugh by ganjadude · · Score: 1

    oh we know

    --
    have you seen my sig? there are many others like it but none that are the same
  47. Re: Imagine going back in time 15 years and warnin by occasional_dabbler · · Score: 1

    Really? In what way?

    He's a secular despot, which I'd take over any theocracy.

    --
    "Our opponent is an alien starship packed with atomic bombs," I said. "we have a protractor"