First SpaceX Dragon picture hits web

[ragnorak]

<br />http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2007/03/16/212634/picture-spacex-reveals-first-dragon-engineering-unit.html

 

[Swampcat]

Not the first. Docm posted the link to the new SpaceX website 3 days ago in the New SpaceX site & Dragon launch schedule thread.<br /><br />Check it out. There are more pictures.<br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font size="3" color="#ff9900"><p><font size="1" color="#993300"><strong><em>------------------------------------------------------------------- </em></strong></font></p><p><font size="1" color="#993300"><strong><em>"I hold it that a little rebellion now and then is a good thing, and as necessary in the political world as storms in the physical. Unsuccessful rebellions, indeed, generally establish the encroachments on the rights of the people which have produced them. An observation of this truth should render honest republican governors so mild in their punishment of rebellions as not to discourage them too much. It is a medicine necessary for the sound health of government."</em></strong></font></p><p><font size="1" color="#993300"><strong>Thomas Jefferson</strong></font></p></font> </div>

 

[christine16]

THANKS

 

[christine16]

Vote if you like or hate Dragon on http://bertran.uni.cc/SVN/<br /><br />all space supporters are in need ;(

 

[subzero788]

How could anyone hate a vehicle that can take people into space? <img src="/images/icons/laugh.gif" />

 

[gunsandrockets]

Maybe the SpaceX site revealed that photo first -- but more importantly that flightglobal article has revealed important new details about the Dragon capsule in the body of the text!<br /><br />Dry mass -- 7,000 lb<br /><br />Max gross -- 7,000 kg<br /><br />propellant -- 1,227 kg<br /><br />max cargo -- 2,500 kg<br /><br />trunk mass -- 681 kg<br /><br />capsule sidewall angle -- 15 degrees<br /><br />Falcon 9 LEO payload -- 8,700 kg

 

[christine16]

i hope no one <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" />

 

[strandedonearth]

Interesting how the dry "mass" is in lbs but everything else is kg...<br />

 

[themanwithoutapast]

It is still hard to figure out how SpaceX exactly reduced the mass of the crew module so much in comparison to the Soyuz and Shenzhou descent modules that weigh about the same (all around 3t) - this spacecraft is going to have a mass of 3.2t BUT it will be able to accomodate more than double the passengers, have integrated tanks and an integrated propulsion system and a docking port as well as much larger outside proportions and incorporate all the electronics and support systems that are spread over the service and orbital modules of Shenzhou and Soyuz.<br /><br />Anyone care to elaborate why this is the case, that is where did they take the mass savings from?

 

[j05h]

<i>> Anyone care to elaborate why this is the case, that is where did they take the mass savings from?</i><br /><br />Composites and modern controls? That would be my best guess. Perhaps a much better heatshield, but that isn't going to save to much weight unless they moved to something like Shutle tiles or a really thin metal (transparational cooling) heat shield. I think composites would explain the excellent Dragon's weight savings.<br /><br />Josh <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <div align="center"><em>We need a first generation of pioneers.</em><br /></div> </div>

 

[no_way]

There has been a lot of earlier discussion on lightweight capsules on sci.space.policy, some folks say even Dragon is overweight..<br />See this message by Henry Spencer ( the _old timer_ ) for instance:<br />http://groups.google.com/group/sci.space.policy/msg/a51e8fb90a10659d<br /><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr /><p>With one major exception (see below), volume and mass are pretty much two<br />separate issues. The mass penalty of making the thing roomier and hence<br />easier to live in is quite small. Even the heatshield mass scales much<br />more strongly with capsule mass than with capsule volume, because a<br />fluffier capsule sees a gentler reentry environment. <p><hr /></p></p></blockquote><br /><br /><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr /><p>Hempsell's "Excalibur" is a reasonable example of a fairly aggressive<br />modern design, 4 men for 10 days in 10100kg... and about half that mass is<br />fuel, giving it 2km/s of delta-V, so it's more like 5000kg if you don't<br />require much maneuverability.<br /><br />One rule of thumb I've long held is that since giving each guy his own<br />Mercury capsule takes about 1500kg/man, any vehicle heavier than that is<br />inexcusably overweight unless it's doing something rather more ambitious.<br />(Gemini and Apollo are not far above that, and probably get a passing mark<br />due to greater capabilities. NASA's new barge is another story.) <p><hr /></p></p></blockquote>

 

[PistolPete]

I thing the 3 tonnes for the Soyuz CM is the gross mass, although I have never seen any empty mass stats for it. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><em>So, again we are defeated. This victory belongs to the farmers, not us.</em></p><p><strong>-Kambei Shimada from the movie Seven Samurai</strong></p> </div>

 

[gunsandrockets]

"It is still hard to figure out how SpaceX exactly reduced the mass of the crew module so much in comparison to the Soyuz and Shenzhou ...Anyone care to elaborate why this is the case, that is where did they take the mass savings from? "<br /><br />Good question.<br /><br />Maybe the Dragon isn't so out of step with the other vehicles as it might at first appear.<br /><br />The Dragon has a maximum gross of 7 tonnes and can carry 2,500 kg of cargo. Not so different from the Progress M, which grosses 7.5 tonnes and can carry more than 2,350 kg of cargo.<br /><br />The Dragon has habitable volume of 14 cubic meters. The Shenzou has a habitable volume of 14 cubic meters and a gross mass of 7.84 tonnes.<br /><br />It isn't the size or the weight of the Dragon which is so remarkable, it's the fact that virtually all of the Dragon's functions are packed into a single reusable module. But the multiple module Soyuz configuration is supposed to be lighter. My best guess is the Dragon makes extensive use of lightweight composite structure and microcomputer technology. <br /><br />