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Crew Dragon and the future of space travel

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Space-X’s Crew Dragon spacecraft carrying four astronauts has successfully completed a nearly 6-month mission on the International Space Station. This test flight marks the first time that a private company has launched an orbital spacecraft with crew …
White night in the Gulf of Mexico

4 astronauts returning aboard Space X’s Crew Dragon spacecraft from the International Space Station crashed safely in the Gulf of Mexico, near Panama City at 2:56 a.m. on May 2 (US time). ABCNews reported that the ship left the space station at 20:35 on May 1 after bad weather at the place fell, causing the crew to delay their return twice. But upon landing on target, the spacecraft marked the first night-time fall of an American crew flight in 53 years. The last time was the Moon mission aboard NASA’s Apollo 8 on December 27, 1968. “Dragon, on behalf of NASA and SpaceX, we welcome you back to Earth. For those of you who study in our regular pilot program, you’ve earned 68 million miles (about 109 million kilometers).” on this trip, “a SpaceX crew operations and resource engineer told the Crew-1 astronauts after the spacecraft crashed. “It’s good to be back on Earth,” replied NASA astronaut Mike Hopkins, Crew-1 mission commander. Crew Dragon ship was launched from November 2020. Photo: NASA. Crew-1 marks SpaceX’s second crew flight to the space station and the first to last in six months. The ship was launched into orbit on November 15, 2020. Before that, in May 2020, a test flight of Crew Dragon was also made and lasted for 2 months, bringing 2 astronauts to the international space station. Although SpaceX’s third crew mission has already kicked off, today’s return marks the second crew’s success for the show. That third flight, known as Crew-2, won’t land until later this year. According to information from ABCNews, the Crew Dragon spacecraft has been nicknamed Resilience by astronauts. In addition to captain Mike Hopkins, the ship also carries other NASA astronauts Victor Glover and Shannon Walker and astronaut Soichi Noguchi of the Japan Aviation Exploration Agency (JAXA). Steve Stitch, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program Manager said in live commentary: “Certified vehicles land during the day or at night, so there is no problem with the vehicle itself. And we practiced with recovery groups to land during the day or at night. Steve Stitch added that the process went smoother compared to the recovery of the Demo-2 crew back in August 2020, when NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken met a small private fleet. . This time, SpaceX and the Coast Guard have tweaked safety procedures to ensure no civilians get too close to the compartment, in case it leaks fuel. “All four crew members are doing very well. You rarely wake up on the space station and go to bed in Houston … Orbital mechanics and weather don’t always work well, but today.” now they have done so, “NASA Flight Manager Holly Ridings said at a press conference after the Crew Dragon landed safely. NASA’s director of human exploration, Kathy Lueder, recounted the radio station’s moment of silence as the Crew Dragon plunged through Earth’s atmosphere: “Astronauts are only anxious when experiencing a blackout – And it’s nice to hear Mike’s voice “… Four astronauts escaped from the hold with the help of medical staff, before returning to shore to catch a NASA plane back to the agency’s headquarters in Houston, Texas. 4 astronauts (from left to right): Shannon Walker, Victor Glover, Mike Hopkins and Soichi Noguchib inside the Crew Dragon. Photo: NASA According to CNN’s information, since leaving Florida in November last year, four astronauts Mike Hopkins, Victor Glover, Shannon Walker and Soichi Noguchi have had 167 days on the International Space Station – laboratory. The scientific experiment orbits the Earth 250 miles above Earth, which has been home to international crews of astronauts for more than two decades. The return of the four astronauts was originally scheduled for April 28, but was delayed due to strong winds in the area. Crew Dragon, also known as Resilience, is SpaceX’s second spaceship. The ship’s resilience broke the record for the longest serving US spacecraft ever docked on the International Space Station and surpassed the 84-day record of the Skylab 4 crew in 1974. Crew Dragon’s first landing took place in August 2020 on a Demo-2 mission, bringing NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley back from space after a two-month test mission. Before the landing, the second crew of NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur, astronaut JAXA Akihiko Hoshide and astronaut Thomas Pesquet of the European Space Agency were also launched to the Space Station. international post. That means crew 1 has a period of 1 week overlapping in orbit with crew 2. The second quartet of Shane Kimbrough, Megan McArthur, Akihiko Hoshide and Thomas Pesquet will remain in orbit until fall, when the 3rd crew enters space to take their place. Support crews were immediately present around the Crew Dragon vessel area that landed in the Gulf of Mexico early May 2 morning. Photo: NASA The first commercial spaceship SpaceX is one of two commercial companies contracted with NASA to fly astronauts in space. Space X’s Crew Dragon spacecraft can carry up to 7 astronauts and Cargo Dragon; was designed to be launched from the top of the Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket and returned to Earth via a crash into the sea. Unlike its predecessors, this spacecraft can be attached to the International Space Station instead of being anchored. Crew Dragon is equipped with an integrated launch escape system (LES) capable of accelerating a spacecraft from an emergency launch missile with an acceleration of 11.8 m / s2 (39 ft / s2), made using a set of four side-mounted thrusters with two SuperDraco engines on each side. The spacecraft has redesigned solar panels and revised outer mold lines compared to the original Dragon, and also has new aircraft computers and avionics systems. As of March 2020, four Crew Dragon spacecraft have been produced. Crew Dragon serves as one of two spacecraft slated to transport crews to and from the International Space Station under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, the other being the Boeing CST-100 Starliner. . It is also expected to be used in US space travel company Space Adventures flights and transporting tourists to and from Axiom Space’s planned space station. Crew Dragon’s first drone test flight took place in March 2019, and the first crewed flight with astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley took place in May 2020. The two astronauts Victor Glover, Mike Hopkins in the Crew Dragon. Photo: NASA This test flight marks the first time that a private company has launched a crewed orbital spacecraft. Cargo Dragon is expected to deliver cargo to the International Space Station under a Commercial Supply-2 Service contract with NASA, along with Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems’ Cygnus spacecraft and Sierra Nevada Corporation’s Dream Chaser spacecraft. . Cargo Dragon’s first flight is launched in December 2020. On November 10, 2020, the Crew Dragon, comprising the Falcon 9 missile and related ground systems, was fully certified by NASA as the first commercial spacecraft system in history to be capable of maneuvering. transfer people to and from the International Space Station. Initially, the company intended to let Crew Dragon land on land using the LES engine, with parachutes and ocean falls as options available in case of the incident, a Space X representative told reporters. Launch is canceled. Precise landing on water with a parachute has been proposed to NASA as Crew Dragon’s “method of returning to the atmosphere and fundamentally restoring the first few flights”. The forced landing was subsequently canceled, making parachuting the only option. By 2011, Paragon Space Development Corporation had been supporting the development of the Crew Dragon life support system. In 2012, SpaceX was in talks with Orbital Outfitters about developing space suits to wear during launch and return to the atmosphere. Each crew member wears their own custom fitted space suit. The suit is primarily designed for use inside the Dragon, and in the case of the fast depressurization cabin, this suit may protect crew members. The suit can also cool astronauts during normal flight. At a NASA press conference on May 18, 2012, SpaceX confirmed their target launch price for the Crew flights to be $ 160 million, equivalent to about $ 23 million per seat capacity. Crew up to 7 people on board and NASA orders at least 4 Dragon Crew flights per year. This contrasts with the 2014 Soyuz launch price of $ 76 million per seat for NASA astronauts. The design of the Crew Dragon spacecraft was officially announced on May 29, 2014, during a press event at SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California. In October 2014, NASA selected the Crew Dragon spacecraft as one of the candidates to bring American astronauts to the International Space Station, according to NASA’s Commercial Crew program.