Author Topic: NASA, Boeing, SpaceX Discuss Plan for Launching American Astronauts from US (Read 129887 times)

woods170 · « **Reply #220 on:** 02/03/2015 06:54 am »

Quote from: Lars-J on 02/02/2015 06:25 pm

A slight edit , with the latest Dragon v2 image: https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/562313940982456321

(Does anyone know what CST-100's latest progress image would look like?)

The same as it is now: Bare pressure hull. Boeing is only going into full hardware production and spacecraft integration (for both test articles and flight articles) after the overall CST-100 CDR (this March). What you saw on that stage is the current progress of CST-100 spacecraft integration.
SpaceX seems to be further along. They have something that at least 'looks' like an integrated spacecraft, even integrated with some sort of trunk (fins included!) for the upcoming abort test. We know from public sources that this includes a flight type pressure hull, flight type recovery system, flight type abort system, etc, etc.
A similar abort test for CST-100 is planned for early 2017, a full two years later than SpaceX.
Seems to me this also explains the large difference in funding for Boeing and SpaceX under CCtCAP. Boeing simply has yet more work to perform.

abaddon · « **Reply #221 on:** 02/03/2015 02:00 pm »

Quote from: llanitedave on 02/03/2015 12:08 am

Dragon is actually the smallest of the three in livable volume, I believe.

That may be true, but as someone who is pretty tall, the Dragon appears to have more headroom

.

abaddon · « **Reply #222 on:** 02/03/2015 02:05 pm »

Quote from: woods170 on 02/03/2015 06:54 am

The same as it is now: Bare pressure hull. Boeing is only going into full hardware production and spacecraft integration (for both test articles and flight articles) after the overall CST-100 CDR (this March). What you saw on that stage is the current progress of CST-100 spacecraft integration.
SpaceX seems to be further along. They have something that at least 'looks' like an integrated spacecraft, even integrated with some sort of trunk (fins included!) for the upcoming abort test. We know from public sources that this includes a flight type pressure hull, flight type recovery system, flight type abort system, etc, etc.
A similar abort test for CST-100 is planned for early 2017, a full two years later than SpaceX.
Seems to me this also explains the large difference in funding for Boeing and SpaceX under CCtCAP. Boeing simply has yet more work to perform.

Agreed. The other elephant in the room is the CST-100 service module. It is presumably a much more complicated piece of equipment than the Dragon2 trunk. The abort/station reboost motor has been tested, but I haven't heard anything about the service module itself being constructed. This makes me wonder if it, not the capsule, is the long pole in CST-100 development, and why the pad abort test is so much later when the capsule itself seems to be reasonably far along.

Anyone have info on the CST-100 SM development?

baldusi · « **Reply #223 on:** 02/03/2015 08:15 pm »

Historically the long pole is software and validation. And guess where did Boeing started? I'm pretty sure they will fly crew before the end of 2017. SpaceX might beat them, but might as well be second.

yg1968 · « **Reply #224 on:** 02/06/2015 03:36 pm »

Purchase of seats on Soyuz will be extended to 2018:
http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=33560.msg1326655#msg1326655

Tomness · « **Reply #225 on:** 02/06/2015 07:02 pm »

Quote from: yg1968 on 02/06/2015 03:36 pm

Purchase of seats on Soyuz will be extended to 2018:
http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=33560.msg1326655#msg1326655

Wish I could dislike, but thats the way the cookie crumbles when SLS takes it all to stay on budget when CCTCAP need a priority right now.

didacticus · « **Reply #226 on:** 02/06/2015 08:06 pm »

I guess this is why Bolden added the "after 2017" to "I don't ever want to have to write another cheque to Roscosmos after 2017".

okan170 · « **Reply #227 on:** 02/06/2015 10:28 pm »

Quote from: Tomness on 02/06/2015 07:02 pm

Quote from: yg1968 on 02/06/2015 03:36 pm
Purchase of seats on Soyuz will be extended to 2018:
http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=33560.msg1326655#msg1326655

Wish I could dislike, but thats the way the cookie crumbles when SLS takes it all to stay on budget when CCTCAP need a priority right now.

I think its a bit of a stretch to say that this is what happened. Especially since the 2016 budget is still in the "suggestion" stage.

AncientU · « **Reply #228 on:** 02/08/2015 04:14 pm »

Quote from: yg1968 on 02/06/2015 03:36 pm

Purchase of seats on Soyuz will be extended to 2018:
http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=33560.msg1326655#msg1326655

Disturbing news... not the way to keep pressure on themselves and Congress.

Also wonder how many Grad rockets $500M will buy -- or how much fuel for the oligarchs' yachts.
Our helplessness in space completely undermines our rhetorical brashness in diplomacy with Putin.

NovaSilisko · « **Reply #229 on:** 02/08/2015 04:23 pm »

Pretty sure NASA has to arrange purchase of the seats a few years in advance, don't they? I see this as an (expensive) insurance policy against something going wrong with CC and causing it to slip into 2019, which may or may not actually be used. Can't speak of the wisdom of this as opposed to just putting that money into commercial crew, though... government will be government, I guess.