entranceFirst look at the SpaceX Dragon manned spacecraft. American spacecraft Dragon. Dossier Spaceship Dragon
"Today's successful launch marks a new chapter in American excellence, bringing us closer to resuming American astronaut flights on American rockets from American soil," said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine.
“I am proud to congratulate the SpaceX and NASA teams on this milestone in space history our country. This first launch of a space system designed for humans, which was built and operated commercial company within the framework of public-private partnership. This is a revolutionary step in our journey to get people to the Moon, Mars and beyond."
Only half way...
“First I want to thank the SpaceX team. It took seventeen years to get there, from 2002 to now, an incredible amount of hard work and the sacrifice of many people that brought us to this point... I would also like to express my deep gratitude to NASA, said Elon Musk, CEO and chief designer of SpaceX. "SpaceX wouldn't be here without NASA, without the incredible work that went on before SpaceX launched, and without the support after SpaceX launched."
“We are only halfway to completing the mission, but the system has so far passed exhaustive
a set of checks and the launch itself,” said Elon Musk.
It is impossible not to notice how Musk chose his words when describing the launch and the first hours of the flight. “We are only halfway to the mission, but the system has so far passed an exhaustive set of tests and the launch itself,” Musk said. "The launch went as expected and, so far, everything is nominal."
The Crew Dragon is an important part of NASA's private manned spacecraft development program, which revolves around the development of a private spacecraft to send people to and from the International Space Station. As part of this program, two companies - SpaceX and Boeing - are developing their own capsules that will be able to deliver NASA astronauts into space and then return them to Earth. But before these capsules can carry people, NASA wants to see the vehicle in action.
NASA decided to take a break
Smart dummy Ripley, equipped with sensors and dressed in a SpaceX special suit, monitors the situation. Sitting in one of four passenger seats, Ripley collects data on how flying can affect the human body. SpaceX's livestream also provided insight into Ripley's condition during the launch. In addition, inside vehicle a small Earth-shaped toy was placed that floated into the air when the Crew Dragon was placed in microgravity.
SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with Crew Dragon spacecraft.
When Ripley's Crew Dragon rendezvous with the ISS, the capsule will maneuver towards the station and attempt to join a free port. This dock was installed specifically for SpaceX and Boeing. Using a series of lasers and software, Crew Dragon will identify the docking adapter and will join it on its own, without the help of astronauts aboard the station. In case of successful completion of the flight, a manned launch of the same ship is scheduled for the summer.
The first stage returned safely to earth and can be used for further launches. Spaceship Crew Dragon will deliver about 160 payloads to the station, but the main goal of the first mission is to test the ship. According to the plans, it will undock from the ISS on March 8 and should return to Earth by 17:00 on the same day.
SpaceX Demo-1 static fire test at Launch Complex 39A on January 24, 2019. Photo by SpaceX.
The price of independence from the "Union"
After the completion of the Space Shuttle program, the United States did not have the opportunity to independently send its astronauts to the ISS and delivered them there with the help of Roskosmos on Soyuz spacecraft. Delivering each astronaut cost the US space agency $20 million in 2011 and has risen to about $80 million today. However, this year, two American companies at once, fulfilling a contract with NASA, prepared their vehicles - SpaceX Crew Dragon and Boeing Starliner.
The Crew Dragon is delivered into orbit using the proprietary Falcon 9 carrier. It is designed for 4 astronauts, unlike the three-seat Soyuz, and is much more spacious. On the one hand, technological progress has made it possible to make a more convenient spacecraft. However, it has yet to be tested. The Soyuz has been modified many times, and since 1973 cosmonauts have been safely returning to earth on it. Unfortunately, in 1967 and 1971, design flaws of those years led to the death of crews, however, if we count all the manned launches of the Soyuz, then there will be more than a hundred manned flights - Crew Dragon will not collect such statistics soon. Note that the accident in October 2018 occurred with the rocket of the same name. It is easy to confuse, but the ship safely returned the astronauts to earth - a conditional analogy: the plane failed, but the ejection system worked flawlessly.
In addition, flights on Crew Dragon will most likely be more expensive for NASA than on Soyuz. First, the agency has already spent more than $8 billion on the development of manned vehicles. With these funds it was possible to launch astronauts on the Soyuz for another 20 years. However, it is important for the United States to develop its own manned program. It's not just about Russia. But the current ships could become the basis for vehicles that will carry people to the Moon and Mars.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft after being lifted to a vertical position on the launch pad, February 28, 2019, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. in the state of Florida. Photo by NASA
Interestingly, in 2012, Elon Musk promised to provide launches of a manned spacecraft for $140 million, then the delivery of one astronaut to the ISS would cost $30 million (with a 4-seat layout of the ship). However, already in 2017, NASA analyst Edgar Zapata in a report estimated the total cost of launching Crew Dragon at $405 million. That is, $100 million per astronaut, 20% more expensive than on the Soyuz. And given that more than two American astronauts are rarely sent to the ISS in one launch, SpaceX launches will cost twice as much as the Soyuz.
Mission objectives
During a spacecraft approach, in-orbit testing will include rendezvous activities up to 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) known as far field and actions within one mile (1.6 kilometers) known as near field. As the spacecraft approaches the space station, it will demonstrate its capabilities automatic control and maneuvering, changing course and retreating from the station until the final docking sequence.
Ripley's dummy and a super high tech zero indicator added right before launch!
Weightlessness indicator - "Earth".
The docking phase and the return and recovery of the Crew Dragon involve many moments that cannot be fully simulated on the ground and are thus critical to understanding the design and ability of the systems to support crew flights. Previous Dragon cargo vehicles were attached to the space station after being taken over by the station's robotic arm.
The Crew Dragon will dock using new sensor systems, new propulsion systems, and a new international docking mechanism to connect to the front port of the Harmony module equipped with a new international docking adapter. Astronauts installed the adapter during a spacewalk in August 2016, after it was delivered to the station in the trunk of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft during its ninth commercial delivery mission. Crew Dragon is designed to stay in orbit for up to 210 days.
Additional spacecraft flight objectives include safe departure from the station, braking impulse, parachute deployment to slow the spacecraft before splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean off the Florida space coast. SpaceX's recovery ship, the Go Searcher, will pick up the Crew Dragon and bring it back to port. Teams will closely monitor the operation of the parachute system and the entry control system.
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Height: 2.9 m, diameter: 3.6 m, sealed volume: 10 m³, non-pressurized volume: 14 m³
Dragon (Dragon SpaceX)- a private transport spacecraft, developed by SpaceX, commissioned by NASA as part of the Commercial Orbital Transportation (COTS) program, designed to deliver payloads and, in the future, people to the International Space Station. The need for new trucks arose from the States due to the cessation of shuttle flights.
Technical details
"Dragon" consists of two modules: a command-aggregate compartment of a conical shape and an adapter trunk for docking with the second stage of the launch vehicle, which serves as an unpressurized container for placing cargo and disposable equipment - solar panels and cooling system radiators. The power supply of the ship, like that of the Russian Soyuz, is provided by solar panels and batteries. Unlike the American spacecraft Apollo, as well as the developed spacecraft Russian project A promising manned transport system, NASA Orion, Boeing's CST-100, "Dragon" is almost a monoblock ship. The propulsion system, fuel tanks, batteries and other equipment of the aggregate compartment are returned together with the ship, which is unique (similar to SS). At the first stage of development (cargo spacecraft), docking with the ISS, due to the lack of an autonomous docking system, is carried out in the same way as the Japanese HTV docking.
The dragon is being developed in several modifications: manned (crew up to 7 people), cargo-passenger (crew 4 people + 2.5 tons of cargo), cargo (in this version it will be used for the first time), and a modification for autonomous flights (DragonLab ).
It is assumed that a unique emergency rescue system (SAS) will be created for the Dragon spacecraft, which is located not on the mast above the spacecraft, but in the ship itself. According to the head and general designer of SpaceX Elon Musk, the CAC engines may be used when the spacecraft landed on land.
It is also planned to develop a ship in a modification for a flight to Mars - the Red Dragon. It is a $400 million planetary landing capsule. A mission to Mars is scheduled for 2018.
First rocket launch
Dragon capsule in assembly shop
On August 12, 2010, a parachute system designed for the Dragon spacecraft was successfully tested in the Morro Bay area on the Pacific coast of the United States. The capsule was lifted by helicopter to a height of 4.2 km and dropped down. Brake and main parachutes worked normally, lowering the device normally to the surface of the ocean. In this case, the astronauts in the ship will experience no more than 2-3 g during splashdown.
First orbital flight
Launch of Falcon 9 with SC "Dragon"
The ship went into orbit, circled the Earth twice at an altitude of 300 km, and then went down. The capsule entered the atmosphere and, according to the flight plan, opened its parachutes and splashed down in the Pacific Ocean at 19:04 GMT (22:04 Moscow time).
During the mission, Dragon's orbit-to-orbit capabilities were demonstrated, as well as telemetry transmission, command passing, deorbit pulse, and parachute splashdown into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California.
On board the Dragon spacecraft was a "top secret cargo", information about which was revealed only after the capsule splashed down. As it turned out, it was a head of cheese, which was in a special container screwed to the floor of the descent vehicle.
Expected flights
Dragon spacecraft during docking with the ISS (drawing)
SpaceX received a license to carry out the space flight of the Spacecraft Dragon. The US Federal Aviation Administration granted the company the first commercial license to launch and land reusable spacecraft. According to this document, SpaceX can carry out more than 200 launches during the year, if technical capabilities allow.
According to the contract concluded between NASA and SpaceX, the latter must carry out 15 Falcon 9 launches - three test and 12 regular missions to deliver cargo to the ISS. The first flight to the station is scheduled for November 30, 2011. However, the flight tests of the Falcon 9 and the Dragon ship have been postponed more than once. Earlier it was reported that "SpaceX" failed to obtain a certificate for "one of the critical systems of the launch vehicle."
Test flight schedule
- The first flight provides for separation from the launch vehicle in orbit, telemetry transmission, receiving commands from the Earth, demonstration of orbital maneuvering, thermoregulation, re-entry into the atmosphere (duration 5 hours) - successfully completed on December 8, 2010.
- In the second - approach to the ISS for 10 km (without docking), radio communication and control from the ISS (duration 5 days).
- The third flight is the first mission to deliver cargo to the ISS (duration 3 days).
Possible changes to the flight schedule
Meanwhile, NASA Associate Administrator for Space Operations William Gerstenmaier said that NASA plans to dock the Dragon spacecraft to the ISS in November-December 2011. The ship will fly up to the station, hover, and the station manipulator will capture the ship and dock it with the ISS.
see also
- Constellation (space program) (US spacecraft Orion)
Notes
Links
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Orbital vehicle(since 2016) |
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| private | |
| ¹ Drone flight only, although ship was designed for manned flight ² Suborbital flights only |
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Accommodation module Centrifuge module Intermediate control box Habitable compartment Additional rescue ship Propulsion compartment Science and Energy Platform Russian research modules X-38 |
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010 .
Private company SpaceX has unveiled at its plant in California a new Dragon V2 spacecraft designed to carry up to 7 NASA astronauts to the International Space Station.
In the next 4-5 years, the United States will have 4 of its own manned spacecraft and will achieve its goal of refusing to use the Russian Soyuz spacecraft, which costs the Americans $71 million per astronaut.
NASA stopped flying its space shuttles in 2011 and has since used only the Russian Soyuz spacecraft to get its astronauts into orbit. It costs them a lot - 71 million dollars per astronaut.
And in the near future, America's space dependence on Russia will come to naught: private company SpaceX has unveiled the new Dragon V2 spacecraft and promises to bring flight costs down to $20 million.
"Leg" of the spacecraft
The Dragon V2 is the passenger version of the Dragon space truck, which has flown to the ISS 3 times in the past two years. Large windows will give 7 astronauts the opportunity to enjoy views of the Earth. By the way, the Soyuz takes only three cosmonauts on board.
Other American companies are also actively working on the creation of ships and, according to Russian experts, in the next 4-5 years the United States will have as many as 4 of its own spacecraft that will be able to deliver astronauts to Earth's orbit.
"The cone-shaped manned spacecraft has a propulsion system that is capable of landing the Dragon V2 anywhere on earth with the precision of a helicopter." Elon Musk.
In addition to the Dragon V2 considered today, these will be:
- CST-100 is a manned transport spacecraft developed by Boeing:
- reusable manned spacecraft "Dream Chaser" (Russian "Dream Runner"), developed by the American company SpaceDev. The ship is designed to deliver cargo and crews of up to 7 people to low earth orbit:
- The multi-purpose partially reusable manned spacecraft Orion, developed since the mid-2000s as part of the Constellation program:
It is worth saying a few words about the 42-year-old Elon Musk, the founder of SpaceX, which built the Dragon V2 manned spacecraft. This is an engineer, inventor and billionaire who made his fortune not on the sale of oil or gas, but in the field of information technologies, rocket science and automotive. He is the founder of the already mentioned SpaceX company, the same PayPal and Tesla Motors that created the Tesla Model S - the main event of the automotive year 2013. Read more in the article of the same name.
Elon Musk is a man who came to Russia in an attempt to buy a rocket to send a greenhouse with plants to Mars. The man who made the company that now launches rockets into space, his VTOL Grasshopper is amazing:
The Dragon V2 ship is equipped with latest system safety and works in tandem with the extremely reliable Falcon 9 rocket. The cockpit of the Dragon V2 spacecraft:
Video about the ship Dragon V2. See also " the best photos in Astronomy 2013” and “10 Largest Meteorites That Fell to Earth”.
TASS-DOSIER. August 14, 2017 American company SpaceX launched from the Space Center. John F. Kennedy (Florida) Falcon 9 launch vehicle. The Dragon spacecraft was launched into orbit with the 12th operational mission to the International Space Station (ISS). On board the ship is 2.91 tons of various cargoes.
Dragon is an American private space shuttle. Currently, a cargo version of the spacecraft is in operation, which is used to supply the ISS.
Project history
The developer and manufacturer of Dragon is SpaceX (Space Exploration Technologies, Hawthorne, California), which was founded in 2002 by Canadian-American engineer, billionaire Elon Musk.
From the very beginning, the project involved the creation of a ship to deliver crews to low Earth orbit and return them to Earth. On June 2, 2005, SpaceX announced that it had signed an agreement with the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to develop a spacecraft for manned flight. To test the technology, a cargo version of the Dragon was created.
In August 2006, the company was selected by NASA for demonstration flights to the ISS for the delivery and return of cargo. According to the agreement, SpaceX was supposed to carry out three Dragon launches using its launch vehicle Falcon 9 (planned for 2008-2009). And in December 2008, NASA signed a contract with the company for 12 Dragon flights with cargo for the ISS in the amount of $1.6 billion (in the case of ordering additional flights, it was planned to increase the total contract amount to $3.1 billion). Subsequently, an agreement was reached to increase flights from 12 to 20.
On May 30, 2014, the company introduced a manned version of the Dragon v2 spacecraft (another name: Crew Dragon). The first unmanned demonstration flight Dragon v2 is scheduled for November 2017, with a crew on board - for May 2018). In September of the same year, a $2.6 billion contract was signed between NASA and SpaceX to complete the Dragon v2 development and certification for flights to the ISS. And in November and December 2015, contracts were signed for a flight to the ISS of two manned spacecraft.
On April 27, 2016, SpaceX announced that it plans to send an unmanned Red Dragon spacecraft to Mars. The launch is planned for 2020 (previously considered 2018) and will be carried out by the new Falcon Heavy rocket.
In addition, Dragon can be used for autonomous flights as a scientific laboratory - in the DragonLab version.
Characteristics
Dragon is a capsule ship. Structurally, it consists of three main elements: the bow (separates when launched into orbit), a sealed module with a volume of 11 cubic meters. m (returned part) and an unpressurized cargo compartment of 14 cubic meters. m (separated when returning to Earth before entering the atmosphere). Outside the non-hermetic compartment are placed solar panels(power - 1.5-2 kilowatts).
The returnable module is designed for cargo requiring pressurized transportation (in the Dragon v2 version - for crew members), it also houses a service compartment with a control system, fuel tanks, and a propulsion system. SpaceX's 18 Draco engines are powered by monomethylhydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide.
Docking with the ISS is carried out by capturing the spacecraft with the Canadarm2 ("Canadarm2") manipulator, which is controlled by the station crew members. Return to Earth is carried out during a controlled descent with a parachute into the waters of the Pacific Ocean.
The maximum height of the ship is 7.2 m, the maximum diameter is 3.7 m, the mass (without fuel) is 4.2 tons, the duration of operation in orbit is up to two years. It can deliver cargo to orbit with a total weight of up to 6 tons and a volume of up to 25 cubic meters. m, return to Earth - up to 3 tons (11 cubic meters).
Launches and incidents
Dragon launches are carried out by the Falcon 9 rocket from the Space Center. John F. Kennedy (located on Merritt Island northwest of Cape Canaveral). The Cape Canaveral Air Force Base site was previously used, but it was destroyed by a missile on September 1, 2016.
The first, test, flight of the ship took place on December 8, 2010. During the second test flight, on May 22-31, 2012, Dragon docked to the ISS for the first time (it was part of it from May 25 to 31). It became the first private spacecraft to dock with the station. The first commercial flight to the ISS was carried out on October 8-28, 2012: Dragon delivered food, clothes, equipment to the station, returned to Earth the results of experiments conducted on the ISS.
The launch on June 28, 2015 of Dragon with the seventh mission to the ISS ended in an accident. Falcon missile 9 exploded in the 139th second of flight, the wreckage fell into the Atlantic Ocean. The ship was supposed to deliver about 2 tons of various cargoes to the station, including a new docking port IDA (International Docking Adaptor; manufactured by Boeing) for the modernization of the American segment of the ISS.
In total, by August 14, 2017, 13 launches of the spacecraft were carried out - 12 successful and one emergency. Of these, two test and 11 workers (according to the ISS program).
The previous Dragon launch took place on June 4, 2017 at 00:08 Moscow time, the return capsule of the ship was reused for the first time (participated in the flight in September - October 2014). On June 5, the ship docked with the ISS with 2.7 tons of various cargoes and stayed at the station for almost a month. Dragon was undocked from the ISS on July 3 at 09:41 Moscow time and on the same day its return capsule successfully splashed down in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of California. 1.9 tons of cargo was returned to Earth from the ISS, mainly the results of scientific experiments and samples of technological developments.