Structure
Dragon is typical blunt-cone ballistic capsule having a hinged nosecone cap which opens to expose a regular Worldwide Area Station (ISS) Normal Berthing Mechanism. The Normal Berthing Mechanism enables the Dragon to get captured from the Room Station Remote Manipulator Product and berthed into the non-Russian segments for the ISS. This tactic avoids the pounds, fee and complexity of an on-board docking product like the Androgynous Peripheral Attach Product (APAS-89) or even the Minimal Impression Docking Product (LIDS).
The Dragon capsule might be introduced atop a Falcon nine rocket. SpaceX has put together a entire-sized prototype of this capsule and “extensively examined” its lifetime help scheme.
Progress
In June 2009, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said that the business planned to carry out the maiden flight for the Dragon spacecraft in 2009, and hold the capsule enter company in 2010, prior to the scheduled ultimate flight for the Room Shuttle. As of February 2010, the maiden flight day with the Dragon mock-up, a mostly finish but non-operational engineering product, has very long been tentatively scheduled for March 22nd, 2010. this can be owing equally to delays in processing the Falcon nine launch car or truck and selection conflicts with all the US Air Force, the most important responsible bash for Cape Canaveral operations. All components had arrived at SpaceX’s Cape Canaveral hangar for processing as of late January 2010 next completion of second stage testing.
On February 23, 2009, SpaceX announced that its picked out warmth protect substance, PICA-X, a proprietary variant of NASA’s phenolic impregnated carbon ablator substance, had handed warmth worry assessments in preparing for the tremendously first Dragon kick off.
the tremendously first flight for the Dragon capsule was at first planned for the next flight belonging to the Falcon 9 rocket. On The Other Hand, in September 2009 SpaceX announced that a stripped down version of Dragon would fly over the Falcon 9′s maiden flight. This Dragon was originally chosen for a non-flying test bed to validate many different belonging to the capsule’s programs. throughout the kick off its key mission might be to relay aerodynamic info captured throughout the ascent.
The docking focus on procedure to the Dragon module, the DragonEye, was examined in the study course of STS-127 by mounting it close the docking port on Room Shuttle Endeavour and making use of it even though approaching the Global Room Station. The DragonEye’s LIDAR and thermal imaging abilities ended up both equally checked out.
In preparing for crewed usage of the Dragon, in summer months 2009 SpaceX employed previous NASA astronaut Ken Bowersox as vice president of their new Astronaut Basic Safety and Mission Assurance Section.
In 2009 and 2010, Elon Musk has proposed on many different occasions that plans for a manned variant of Dragon were proceeding and had a 2-3 year time line to completion.
NASA launch partnership
Artist rendering of SpaceX Dragon spacecraft delivering cargo with the Global Room Station.
Dragon is a section of a proposal submitted by SpaceX on March 3, 2006 for NASA’s Business Orbital Transportation Expertise (COTS) application for business delivery of cargo and crew with the Global Room Station. SpaceX’s workforce for any COTS proposal consists of plenty of organisations which includes MD Robotics, the Canadian provider that created the ISS’s Cellular Servicing Process.
On August eighteen, 2006, NASA introduced that SpaceX had been picked, together with Kistler Aerospace, to produce cargo start providers for that Worldwide Area Station. The method calls for demonstration flights of SpaceX’s Dragon capsule somewhere between 2008 and 2010. SpaceX could very well acquire approximately $278 million whenever they meet all NASA milestones. Kistler did not meet its obligations with NASA, and its contract was terminated in 2007. NASA decided to re-award its contract once a competing firms. On February 19, 2008 NASA declared that it had picked out Orbital Sciences as the new winner.
NASA awarded a cargo delivery agreement to SpaceX on December 23, 2008. The agreement requires no much less than twenty,000 kg (44,000 lb) of cargo in excess of approximately twelve flights with the ISS at a expenditure of $one.six billion USD, with possible choices that enhance the highest agreement benefit to $three.one billion.
Requirements
A Dragon capsule structural examination review for the 2007 X-Prize Cup
Both Equally manned and unmanned variations
Can have approximately 7 passengers in crew configuration
Can carry over 2,500 kg (5,500 lb) and 14 m3 (490 cu ft) in cargo configuration
18 Draco thrusters
Phenolic impregnated carbon ablator (PICA) heat shield
See also
Human-carrying spacecraft – descriptions of other vehicles similar to Dragon Crew
Orion Lite – a similar privately-developed vehicle by Bigelow Aerospace
Unmanned resupply spacecraft – descriptions of other vehicles similar to Dragon Cargo
Automated Transfer Vehicle – a similar cargo vehicle created by ESA
Cygnus spacecraft – a similar cargo vehicle created by Orbital Sciences Corporation
H-II Transfer Vehicle – similar cargo vehicle created by Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
Progress spacecraft – a similar cargo vehicle created by Russian Federal Space Agency
Human spaceflight applications
References
^ Dragonlab datasheet
^ Jones Name, Thomas D. (2006), “Tech Look At Resident Astronaut”, Prominent Mechanics 183 (twelve), ISSN 0032-4558
^ “Elon Musk Presentation to Augustine Commission June 2009″. SpaceX. http://www.spacex.com/20090617_Elon_Musk_Augustine_Commission.pdf. Retrieved 2009-08-29.
^ “Security approvals pacing Falcon nine rocket start day”. Spaceflight Now. February 24, 2010. http://www.spaceflightnow.com/falcon9/001/100224approvals/.
^ SpaceX (2009-02-23). “SpaceX Made Warmth Protect Content Passes Excessive Temperature Assessments Simulating Reentry Heating Issues of Dragon Spacecraft”. Press launch. http://www.spacex.com/press.php?web page=20090223. Retrieved 2009-07-sixteen.
^ Man Norris (Sep 20, 2009). “SpaceX, Orbital Discover Making Use Of Their Launch Vehicles To Carry Humans”. Aviation Week. http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story.jsp?id=news/COTS09209.xml&channel=awst.
^ Update on September 23, 2009 from SpaceX
^ SpaceX (2009-06-18). “FORMER ASTRONAUT BOWERSOX JOINS SPACEX AS VICE PRESIDENT OF ASTRONAUT BASIC SAFETY AND MISSION ASSURANCE”. Press release. http://www.spacex.com/press.php?page=20090616. Retrieved 2009-07-27.
^ >”This Week in Room interview with Elon Musk”. Spaceflight Now. January 24, 2010. http://www.youtube.com/look at?v=ifwFa5DtIps&aspect=player_embedded.
^ >”Elon Musk’s SpaceX presentation towards Augustine panel”. YouTube. June, 2009. http://www.youtube.com/look at?v=O81Zq02eStg.
^ “NASA selects crew, cargo kick off partners”. Spaceflight Now. 2006-08-18. http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n0608/18cots/.
^ “NASA Selects Crew and Cargo Transportation to Orbit Partners”. SpaceRef. 2006-08-18. http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=20628.
^ Alan Boyle (2006-08-18). “SpaceX, Rocketplane win spaceship contest”. MSNBC. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14411983/.
^ Space.com – Time Runs out for RpK; New COTS Competition Starts Immediately
^ NASASpaceflight.com – Orbital beat a dozen competitors to win NASA COTS contract
^ “F9/Dragon Will Replace the Cargo Transport Function of the Space Shuttle after 2010″. SpaceX. 2008-12-23. http://www.spacex.com/press.php?page=20081223. Retrieved 2009-01-26.
^ a b “Dragon Overview”. SpaceX. http://www.spacex.com/dragon.php. Retrieved 2007-12-11.
^ a b “SpaceX Updates December 10, 2007″. SpaceX. 2007-12-10. http://www.spacex.com/updates_archive.php. Retrieved 2007-12-11.
External one way links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Dragon (spacecraft)
Official online site
Crew Transport to ISS (simulation)
Cargo Delivery to ISS (simulation)
Photographs
number of photographs from tour of SpaceX factory, which includes pics of Dragon capsule (Michael Belfiore’s Dispatches from the Final Frontier, May 4, 2006)
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SpaceX
Vehicles
Falcon 1 Falcon 5 Falcon 9 Dragon Raptor
Engines
Merlin Kestrel Draco
Launch Sites
Cape Canaveral Vandenberg AFB Omelek Island
Missions
Falcon 1
Flight 1 (2006) Flight 2 (2007) Flight 3 (2008) Flight 4 (2008) Flight 5 (2009)
Falcon 9
Flight 1 (2010)
Contracts
Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) Commercial Resupply Companies (CRS)
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Unmanned resupply spacecraft
Historic
TKS
Existing
Automated Transfer Automobile H-II Transfer Automobile Progress
In improvement
Cygnus Dragon (also manned)
Cancelled
Kistler K-1 Andrews Cargo Module
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Elements from the Worldwide Area Station
Important elements
in orbit
Zarya (Practical Cargo Block) Unity (Node 1) Zvezda (Services Module) Destiny (Laboratory) Quest (Airlock) Pirs (Airlock / Docking Module) Harmony (Node 2) Columbus (Laboratory) Kib (PM, ELM-PS, EF) Poisk (MRM 2) Tranquillity (Node 3) Cupola Integrated Truss Construction (ITS)
Subsystems
in orbit
Canadarm2 (MSS) Dextre (SPDM) Kib Remote Manipulator System External Stowage Platforms (ESPs) ExPRESS Logistics Carriers 1&2 (ELCs) Pressurised Mating Adapters (PMAs) Electrical System ECLSS
Launched periodically
Multi-Purpose Logistics Modules (MPLMs) Kib (ELM-ES)
Scheduled for Shuttle
Rassvet (MRM 1) ExPRESS Logistics Carriers 3&4 (ELCs) Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer Leonardo (PMM) OBSS
Scheduled for Proton
Nauka (Multipurpose Laboratory Module) European Robotic Arm (ERA)
Not currently scheduled
ExPRESS Logistics Carrier 5 (ELC5) Interim Control Module (ICM)
Cancelled
Propulsion Module Centrifuge Accommodations Module (CAM) Habitation Module Crew Return Vehicle (CRV/ACRV) Science Energy Platform (SPP) Universal Docking Module (UDM) Russian Analysis Module (RM)
Assistance autos
Existing: Space Shuttle Soyuz Progress Automated Transfer Automobile (ATV) H-II Transfer Automobile (HTV)
Long Term: Dragon Cygnus Orion Rus
Mission Manage
MCC-H (NASA) TsUP (RKA) Col-CC (ESA) ATV-CC (ESA) JEM-CC (JAXA) HTV-CC (JAXA) MSS-CC (CSA)
Station Assembly Task Significant Incidents
Classes: SpaceX | Proposed spacecraft | Manned spacecraft | Human spaceflight | International Space Station supply autos