Author Topic: SpaceX Astronauts for SpX-DM2 flight?  (Read 14369 times)

Offline Skyrocket

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SpaceX Astronauts for SpX-DM2 flight?
« on: 05/26/2015 03:50 pm »
Which former NASA astronauts are currently working for SpaceX and could be part of the first crewed Dragon flight?

http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2015/03/commercial-crew-demo-missions-dragon-cst-100/
« Last Edit: 05/29/2015 01:16 pm by Chris Bergin »

Offline AncientU

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Re: SpaceX Astronauts for SpX-DM2 flight?
« Reply #1 on: 05/26/2015 04:44 pm »
Why would they need to be former NASA astros?
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Offline Skyrocket

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Re: SpaceX Astronauts for SpX-DM2 flight?
« Reply #2 on: 05/26/2015 04:53 pm »
Why would they need to be former NASA astros?

Not necessary - but i am simply interested, which former NASA astronauts are now working for them.

Offline Interstellar

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Re: SpaceX Astronauts for SpX-DM2 flight?
« Reply #3 on: 05/26/2015 05:01 pm »
Garrett Reisman is the Director of Crew Ops for Spx, I'd say he's a decent bet to fly on that first mission

Online docmordrid

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Re: SpaceX Astronauts for SpX-DM2 flight?
« Reply #4 on: 05/26/2015 05:03 pm »
Why would they need to be former NASA astros?

Not necessary - but i am simply interested, which former NASA astronauts are now working for them.

Garrett Reisman is their Director of Crew Operations.
« Last Edit: 05/26/2015 05:05 pm by docmordrid »
DM

Offline Ludus

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Re: SpaceX Astronauts for SpX-DM2 flight?
« Reply #5 on: 05/29/2015 03:42 am »
http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2014/06/spacexs-reisman-next-giant-leap-dragon-v2/

I think it's still current that there will be a NASA astronaut on the test flight suggesting not more than one SpaceX astronaut. It would be pretty hard to justify more than two on the test flight. Reisman himself seems like a reasonable bet. 3 Shuttle missions, lot's of time on the ISS, PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Caltech.

Offline Zed_Noir

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Re: SpaceX Astronauts for SpX-DM2 flight?
« Reply #6 on: 05/29/2015 06:22 am »
http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2014/06/spacexs-reisman-next-giant-leap-dragon-v2/

I think it's still current that there will be a NASA astronaut on the test flight suggesting not more than one SpaceX astronaut. It would be pretty hard to justify more than two on the test flight. Reisman himself seems like a reasonable bet. 3 Shuttle missions, lot's of time on the ISS, PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Caltech.

Reisman have the same chance as Musk of doing an early Dragon 2 flight. Zilch.

One just does not use the department head or the company CEO as test pilots. Someone less critical in the company ranks will be chosen.


Offline QuantumG

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Re: SpaceX Astronauts for SpX-DM2 flight?
« Reply #7 on: 05/29/2015 06:39 am »
The first time anyone rides on Dragon 2 will be with NASA astronauts. Whether there will be SpaceX test pilots on board as well, I don't know, but NASA has made it clear that they won't be accepting the label of being less risk adverse than commercial test pilots. Similarly with CST-100. This is a good thing.

Human spaceflight is basically just LARPing now.

Offline woods170

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Re: SpaceX Astronauts for SpX-DM2 flight?
« Reply #8 on: 05/29/2015 07:51 am »
Reisman have the same chance as Musk of doing an early Dragon 2 flight. Zilch.

One just does not use the department head or the company CEO as test pilots. Someone less critical in the company ranks will be chosen.

This is SpaceX we are talking about. They don't always do things the way outside folks expect them to do. I suggest you keep that in mind.

Offline rpapo

Re: SpaceX Astronauts for SpX-DM2 flight?
« Reply #9 on: 05/29/2015 10:49 am »
The first time anyone rides on Dragon 2 will be with NASA astronauts. Whether there will be SpaceX test pilots on board as well, I don't know, but NASA has made it clear that they won't be accepting the label of being less risk adverse than commercial test pilots. Similarly with CST-100. This is a good thing.
And you can be sure the astronaut corps is gunning for it too.  Otherwise they are pretty much flying desks or simulators.  Which of course is what they are doing most of the time anyway...  Sadly.  For them.
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Offline kevinof

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Re: SpaceX Astronauts for SpX-DM2 flight?
« Reply #10 on: 05/29/2015 11:07 am »
The first time anyone rides on Dragon 2 will be with NASA astronauts. Whether there will be SpaceX test pilots on board as well, I don't know, but NASA has made it clear that they won't be accepting the label of being less risk adverse than commercial test pilots. Similarly with CST-100. This is a good thing.

Well maybe. You have to remember that SpaceX is only providing the service for Nasa and so maybe Nasa can call the shots on flights that they pay for. There is nothing to stop SpaceX, on it's own, as part of the development process for Dragon 2 , from doing a test flight that they pay for,  with their own crew. And yes I understand that Nasa are part funding the development of Dragon 2, and they are the 500 pound gorilla in the room, but in the end they are just buying a service.

Not saying it will happen but I don't see how/why Nasa would have any control over it. You could argue that, if a SpaceX test flight was successful, there's less risk to Nasa with their crew.


Offline Beittil

Re: SpaceX Astronauts for SpX-DM2 flight?
« Reply #11 on: 05/29/2015 12:09 pm »
It wouldn't exactly make sense either to do for SpaceX, I mean... NASA is paying a handsome fee for that milestone, why bother taking another flight out of your own pocket at all.

Offline kevinof

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Re: SpaceX Astronauts for SpX-DM2 flight?
« Reply #12 on: 05/29/2015 12:20 pm »
Oh you never know. Maybe they will have a spare "slightly used" F9 by then so the costs would be much smaller. Would be great PR for Spacex -  Be the first of new vehicles to takes crew into orbit. I think Musk is a little more pragmatic that that though.

Don't see it happening but that doesn't mean it can't.





It wouldn't exactly make sense either to do for SpaceX, I mean... NASA is paying a handsome fee for that milestone, why bother taking another flight out of your own pocket at all.

Offline Elvis in Space

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Re: SpaceX Astronauts for SpX-DM2 flight?
« Reply #13 on: 05/29/2015 02:13 pm »
http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2014/06/spacexs-reisman-next-giant-leap-dragon-v2/

I think it's still current that there will be a NASA astronaut on the test flight suggesting not more than one SpaceX astronaut. It would be pretty hard to justify more than two on the test flight. Reisman himself seems like a reasonable bet. 3 Shuttle missions, lot's of time on the ISS, PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Caltech.

Reisman have the same chance as Musk of doing an early Dragon 2 flight. Zilch.

One just does not use the department head or the company CEO as test pilots. Someone less critical in the company ranks will be chosen.

I don't know that I'd speak with such certainty about that. Deke Slayton was Chief Astronaut when he selected himself for ASTP. John Young did similar for STS-1.
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Offline nadreck

Re: SpaceX Astronauts for SpX-DM2 flight?
« Reply #14 on: 05/29/2015 03:23 pm »
http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2014/06/spacexs-reisman-next-giant-leap-dragon-v2/

I think it's still current that there will be a NASA astronaut on the test flight suggesting not more than one SpaceX astronaut. It would be pretty hard to justify more than two on the test flight. Reisman himself seems like a reasonable bet. 3 Shuttle missions, lot's of time on the ISS, PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Caltech.

Reisman have the same chance as Musk of doing an early Dragon 2 flight. Zilch.

One just does not use the department head or the company CEO as test pilots. Someone less critical in the company ranks will be chosen.

I don't know that I'd speak with such certainty about that. Deke Slayton was Chief Astronaut when he selected himself for ASTP. John Young did similar for STS-1.
My expectation, and like most of my opinions it is worth the amortization of the pixels it is displayed with over the life of the monitor, is that it will be 2 SpaceX and 2 Nasa people, the SpaceX ones will be Reisman and one of the Dragon ECLSS engineers, and NASA will be picking a senior astronaut and someone who has specialized in the docking systems.
It is all well and good to quote those things that made it past your confirmation bias that other people wrote, but this is a discussion board damnit! Let us know what you think! And why!

Offline Zed_Noir

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Re: SpaceX Astronauts for SpX-DM2 flight?
« Reply #15 on: 05/30/2015 01:16 am »
Reisman have the same chance as Musk of doing an early Dragon 2 flight. Zilch.

One just does not use the department head or the company CEO as test pilots. Someone less critical in the company ranks will be chosen.

This is SpaceX we are talking about. They don't always do things the way outside folks expect them to do. I suggest you keep that in mind.

Well I hope you folks read the tea leaves better than me and Resiman is on one of the early Dragon 2 flight. We shall see.

Offline Bob Shaw

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Re: SpaceX Astronauts for SpX-DM2 flight?
« Reply #16 on: 05/30/2015 01:36 am »
I'm sure that there will be SpaceX crew aboard their first manned vehicle, and most of the rest. Similarly for Boeing.

Offline joek

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Re: SpaceX Astronauts for SpX-DM2 flight?
« Reply #17 on: 05/30/2015 02:22 am »
Well maybe. You have to remember that SpaceX is only providing the service for Nasa and so maybe Nasa can call the shots on flights that they pay for. There is nothing to stop SpaceX, on it's own, as part of the development process for Dragon 2 , from doing a test flight that they pay for,  with their own crew. And yes I understand that Nasa are part funding the development of Dragon 2, and they are the 500 pound gorilla in the room, but in the end they are just buying a service.

Not saying it will happen but I don't see how/why Nasa would have any control over it. You could argue that, if a SpaceX test flight was successful, there's less risk to Nasa with their crew.

This is not (yet) simply a services acquisition by NASA.  CCtCap includes development, certification and post-certification missions.  Unless SpaceX could show that such a flight was divorced from and funded independently of CCtCap (extremely unlikely), NASA is going to have a say.

Offline ChrisWilson68

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Re: SpaceX Astronauts for SpX-DM2 flight?
« Reply #18 on: 05/30/2015 02:45 am »
Well maybe. You have to remember that SpaceX is only providing the service for Nasa and so maybe Nasa can call the shots on flights that they pay for. There is nothing to stop SpaceX, on it's own, as part of the development process for Dragon 2 , from doing a test flight that they pay for,  with their own crew. And yes I understand that Nasa are part funding the development of Dragon 2, and they are the 500 pound gorilla in the room, but in the end they are just buying a service.

Not saying it will happen but I don't see how/why Nasa would have any control over it. You could argue that, if a SpaceX test flight was successful, there's less risk to Nasa with their crew.

This is not (yet) simply a services acquisition by NASA.  CCtCap includes development, certification and post-certification missions.  Unless SpaceX could show that such a flight was divorced from and funded independently of CCtCap (extremely unlikely), NASA is going to have a say.

It all depends on how the contract was written.  Either the contract gives NASA veto power over who can fly on the CCtCap milestone flights or it doesn't.  I expect it's discussed in the contract.

Online Coastal Ron

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Re: SpaceX Astronauts for SpX-DM2 flight?
« Reply #19 on: 05/30/2015 03:01 am »
Well I hope you folks read the tea leaves better than me and Resiman is on one of the early Dragon 2 flight. We shall see.

I thought Resiman has already addressed this question?  I haven't had to look back in the NSF archives, but I thought Helodriver (or one of our members that was there) asked him that question at the Dragon 2 unveiling.  It was asked and answered on video.
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Offline joek

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Re: SpaceX Astronauts for SpX-DM2 flight?
« Reply #20 on: 05/30/2015 03:47 am »
It all depends on how the contract was written.  Either the contract gives NASA veto power over who can fly on the CCtCap milestone flights or it doesn't.  I expect it's discussed in the contract.

Might be in the contract; the RFP is neutral other than lots of requirements for NASA insight, which could be read as strong indications.  In any case, the original point was that NASA is paying not only for transportation, but for the development of such.  Therefore NASA has a say in who gets to ride and when if it is connected to CCtCap.

Offline CuddlyRocket

Re: SpaceX Astronauts for SpX-DM2 flight?
« Reply #21 on: 05/31/2015 07:11 pm »
I suspect the first flight will be with NASA astronauts and that shortly thereafter some of them will resign from NASA and go to work for SpaceX.

Offline Endeavour_01

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Re: SpaceX Astronauts for SpX-DM2 flight?
« Reply #22 on: 05/31/2015 07:31 pm »
My understanding is that the manned demo flight will have 2 crewmembers with one being from NASA and the other from the company (Boeing or SpaceX). For the SpaceX crewmember it makes sense that Reismann would be considered. He has the experience and the training and it would be a big PR boost (former astronaut returns to space on a Dragon).
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