SpaceX Dragon

[no_way]

hot on the heels of Blackstar article, here comes info on SpaceX Dragon<br />http://hobbyspace.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=1080<br /><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr /><p><br />Designed to carry up to 7 people or a mixture of people and cargo, the intent is to make the vehicle as close to fully reusable as possible. Dragon is also designed with safety and reliability in mind. Below the capsule will be an integrated service module. In addition to [on] orbit operations, the service module can also provide the combined crew compartment/service module with the ability to pull the entire crew and cargo off the pad or out of the flight plan should an abort be required.<p><hr /></p></p></blockquote><br /><br />

 

[spacefire]

I bet Elon was hoping to have at least one successful Falcon launch under his belt before making this announcement.<br />I hope it works out for them, but in this incipient stage, diversification for his business is 'diworseification' <br /><br /><br />here's the space.com article:<br />http://www.space.com/spacenews/businessmonday_060306.html<br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>http://asteroid-invasion.blogspot.com</p><p>http://www.solvengineer.com/asteroid-invasion.html </p><p> </p> </div>

 

[no_way]

space.com mentions 2009 as beginning of service. Interface to ISS through canadarm berthing. Full scale working prototype already built. "As part of a top secret project, we've already built a prototype flight crew capsule, including a thoroughly tested 30-man-day-life-support system, which is sitting on our factory floor right now," Musk told Space News. "It doesn't meet all the NASA requirements, so it will probably not see flight, but it has served as a valuable learning experience."

 

[nacnud]

SpaceRef has pictures from SpaceX<br /><br />

 

[josh_simonson]

Musk mentions the delivery of pressurize and unpressurize cargo before people, so he probably intends to begin cargo flights in 2009 rather than be fully man-rated at that point.

 

[kane007]

Interesting pics. One of them has the nose berthed directly to the node##, not the pma. Cones, got luv em. Wander how t/space (CXV) is taking this news?

 

[j05h]

>I knew he was doing something when bigelow said there were teams already applied for the prize, had to be musk (another $50million to defer development costs).<br /><br />If SpaceX gets NASA money, they won't qualify for the America's Space Prize. Obviously if SpaceX has a capsule ready in 2009-11, Bigelow could contract for transport. By the prize rules though, if they get NASA money for development they would be disqualified from winning the prize. I'm doubt if Elon would need the $50 million at that point, though. <br /><br />We could see commercial capsule-to-LEO service and evolving SS2 suborbitals in 5 years, plus a commercial station in orbit. Sweet.<br /><br />Josh <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <div align="center"><em>We need a first generation of pioneers.</em><br /></div> </div>

 

[crix]

Yeah, I've also been wondering how "America's Space Prize" could influence the decisions of some of these entrepeneurs. I'm pretty sure that while a lot of these companies would like that 50 million they'd be happy to get government funding to stay profitable which would allow them to service Bigelow stations anyway. Read: No one's going to pass up a nice NASA contract for fear of being disqualified from Bigelow's prize.

 

[kdavis007]

Maybe Elon should launch Falcon 1 before thinking of new projects...

 

[nolirogari]

Did anyone else notice... no Launch Escape System? I'm gonna have to take a bit more time and read to see what the text says about that.

 

[j05h]

service module functions as launch-escape system. I sure hope it's reliable.<br /><br />Josh <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <div align="center"><em>We need a first generation of pioneers.</em><br /></div> </div>

 

[barrykirk]

This is too cool!!!<br /><br />I understand the attitude that everyone is waiting for Falcon 1 to launch before taking everything else seriously.... but, I for one am very confident that the first Falcon 1 will launch and launch successfully.<br /><br />Well, we've heard about the following.<br /><br />1) The Falcon series 1, 5, and 9<br /><br />2) The Merlin Engine and the Kestral Engine.<br /><br />3) The Merlin 2 Engine and the BFR.<br /><br />4) and Now the Dragon....<br /><br />I have these two questions at this point.<br /><br />1) SpaceX is claiming that the second stage of the Falcon 5 and Falcon 9 is re-usable... I haven't seen or heard how he intends to do that?<br /><br />2) What other unknown projects does SpaceX have in developement that we haven't heard about yet?<br /><br />Well, they have hinted at dragon in the past with talk of man-rating the Falcon 9, it wouldn't have made sense to man-rate it without a space capsule on top of it that can hold people.<br /><br />Questions? Comments?

 

[rybanis]

As it has been said before, they should probably get Falcon-1 off the ground before they even think of doing stuff involving Falcon-9 <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[rybanis]

Have any Falcon-5/Fal-9 test articles even been built yet, though? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[mlorrey]

Yes. Falcon 9 is under construction for launch in 2007 of a DoD payload.

 

[comga]

"Maybe Elon should launch Falcon 1 before thinking of new projects... "<br /><br />Mr. Musk was originally not going to say anything about the Falcon 5 until after first launch. Then Ms. Shotwell started speaking about it at the Space conference. Now the Dragon is made public, while they wait to recycle the Falcon 1 for a fourth attempt.<br /><br />However, it is not surprising that you can only keep these things bottled up for so long, unless you have external restraints like military classification. These are darned cool. The guy has got to want to talk about them. I am delighted to read about them, even if the announcement may be "leading" for a company three weeks away from their fourth launch attempt and, hopefully, first flight. <br /><br />Musk has said, the single problem of space is reducing the cost of access. This looks like another strong effort in that direction. Got to hand it to the man, and wish him well. <br /><br />Question: Is there any indication which way this thing is supposed to reenter? Does it dump the service module, like Soyuz, Apollo, and the CEV, and come in blunt end first? Or does it come in nose first like the tSpace proposal? Why the rounded tip other than aerodynamics?

 

[holmec]

I agree....Promises, Promises, words are cheap. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><font color="#0000ff"><em>"SCE to AUX" - John Aaron, curiosity pays off</em></font></p> </div>

 

[no_way]

>>By the prize rules though, if they get NASA money for development they would be disqualified from winning the prize. <br /><br />The problem is, government is a damn unreliable customer. the entire COTS program could vanish in a puff of smoke in next years budget request or when the new administration comes in or when they need more money to patch ISS-STS programs.<br />So it would maybe be wise _not_ to commit to anything with NASA, develop this thing on his own like he did already, and when its ready simply offer the service to anyone who wants it, including NASA. Just selling the service to government would not disqualify it from Bigelows prize either, IIRC only govrnmt development funding was forbidden.<br />

 

[nacnud]

This is how I envision the dragon from the pictures on SpaceRef. The green section is the crew compartment and the blue is the SM, both these sections are recovered at the end of a mission. The yellow bits are unpressureized cargo in a disposable cyclinder.<br /><br />When the vehicle is in space the CG is in the service module allowing the RCS to act though this. The CG can be adjusted by the placing of unpressurised cargo. For entry the unpressurised cargo section is discarded and the vehicle enters wide end first in a monostable position. The chutes would be in the nose where it swings back to allow acess to the CBM.<br /><br />How does that sound?

 

[nacnud]

Nose first would have a large eyes out force when decelerating from orbit. Surely that is to be avoided in a possible tourist class craft.

 

[tomnackid]

If the CEV system is "Apollo on Steriods" Dragon looks like "Gemini on Steroids". I wonder how adaptable it is to other boosters id the Falcon 9 doesn't work as planned?

 

[mikejz]

Or you could just reverse the seats.

 

[n_kitson]

<blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr /><p>Their nose cap rotated to one side for the docking<p><hr /></p></p></blockquote><br />Bummer if a malfunction causes the cap to rotate out of position just before re-entry!

 

[mikejz]

Not really and issue, I imagine the cap would be be held on by airflow(if thats the right word) during reentry.

 

[rocketman5000]

A year ago when I was investigating trying to make a team that would run for the ASP Bigelow said that SpaceX was planing on make a vehicle that would compete. Maybe all the media on the Falcon 1 was to keep attention away from the Dragon