Author Topic: LIVE: SpaceX Dragon COTS Demo (C2+) FD10 - EOM - UNBERTH, ENTRY, SPLASHDOWN (Read 284162 times)

Chris Bergin · « **Reply #320 on:** 05/31/2012 05:34 pm »

Thanks again guys, although we had the easy job at this end!

On that photo, Fred....yeah, as John noted, L2, but we have about 15 in that particular sequence (and I was torn as to which one to use), so let's upload a better res version than that in the article into here for everyone! (I like it as it looked like Dragon was in a sci fi movie

).

Click to enlarge (or right click, open in new window, or save...etc):

Chris Bergin · « **Reply #321 on:** 05/31/2012 05:42 pm »

Presser in 20 mins. Will be both JSC NASA and SpaceX Hawthorne.

docmordrid · « **Reply #322 on:** 05/31/2012 05:45 pm »

THAT is going to make a great wallpaper

PFK · « **Reply #323 on:** 05/31/2012 05:49 pm »

Some serious Abrams lever specular highlights in that! Nice.

Had to delurk, congrats to everyone involved.

cro-magnon gramps · « **Reply #324 on:** 05/31/2012 05:51 pm »

Thank you Chris, the NSF team, NASA, the SpaceX Team and Elon, for a week to remember;

FANTASTIC!!!

Thanks to everyone in the industry who posted with their expert knowledge, opinion, and awesome speculations

on the Public and L2 side of NSF; and to those that support the L2 side of NSF, that make all this wonderful stuff on here possible;
This Spring and this week we got the momentum we need to push ahead through the inertia of FUD and Gov't naysayers, with the future of HSF, both LEO and BEO, manned and unmanned as the prize worth sacrificing for; What a wonderful first half to 2012 that we can NOW celebrate, and look forward to more and greater things in the near future; Engage Impulse Engines, Mr. Zulu!! Let's have a look at this Solar System

Chris-A · « **Reply #325 on:** 05/31/2012 05:51 pm »

Photo of Elon Musk on a soapbox outside of MCC-X.
https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/208249575797030912/photo/1

Chris-A · « **Reply #326 on:** 05/31/2012 05:56 pm »

The 1PM EDT briefing is about to start.

tigerade · « **Reply #327 on:** 05/31/2012 05:56 pm »

Congrats on SpaceX for an incredibly successful mission and thanks to NSF for the excellent coverage of this event.

Garrett · « **Reply #328 on:** 05/31/2012 05:56 pm »

SpaceX Dragon Mission Status Briefing starting in 5 minutes

cro-magnon gramps · « **Reply #329 on:** 05/31/2012 05:59 pm »

cut this from the screen in Houston MCC, did a bit of fiddling

I would call this "The Dawn of a Space Faring Species" if I had taken it myself; no idea what they call it

Edit, sure would like the sound track to that NASA is using

anyone at NASA care to enlighten us as to where to buy it;

Chris Bergin · « **Reply #330 on:** 05/31/2012 05:59 pm »

May 31, 2012

Trent J. Perrotto
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-0321
[email protected]

Josh Byerly
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
[email protected]

RELEASE: 12-179

SPACEX DRAGON CAPSULE RETURNS TO EARTH AFTER FIRST COMMERCIAL FLIGHT TO SPACE STATION

HOUSTON -- SpaceX's Dragon capsule splashed down in the Pacific Ocean
at 11:42 a.m. EDT a few hundred miles west of Baja California,
Mexico, marking a successful end to the first mission by a commercial
company to resupply the International Space Station.

"Congratulations to the teams at SpaceX and NASA who worked hard to
make this first commercial mission to the International Space Station
an overwhelming success," NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said.
"This successful splashdown and the many other achievements of this
mission herald a new era in U.S. commercial spaceflight. American
innovation and inspiration have once again shown their great strength
in the design and operation of a new generation of vehicles to carry
cargo to our laboratory in space. Now more than ever we're counting
on the inventiveness of American companies and American workers to
make the International Space Station and other low Earth orbit
destinations accessible to any and all who have dreams of space
travel."

The Dragon capsule will be taken by boat to a port near Los Angeles,
where it will be prepared for a return journey to SpaceX's test
facility in McGregor, Texas, for processing. Some cargo will be
removed at the port in California and returned to NASA within 48
hours. The remainder will be returned to Texas with the capsule.

The capsule delivered to the station 1,014 pounds of supplies
including experiments, food, clothing and technology. On its return
trip to Earth, the capsule carried science experiments that will be
returned to researchers hoping to gain new insights provided by the
unique microgravity environment in the station's laboratories. In
addition to the experiments, Dragon returned a total of 1,367 pounds
of hardware and cargo no longer needed aboard the station.

Dragon's journey to the space station was SpaceX's second
demonstration mission under NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation
Services (COTS) Program, which provides investments to stimulate the
commercial space industry in America. The mission began May 22 as the
capsule launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida
aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Following a series of tests of its
maneuverability and abort systems, the capsule was grappled and
berthed to the space station by the crew members of Expedition 31
aboard the orbiting complex.

In the next several weeks, NASA will evaluate the Dragon capsule's
mission performance to close out remaining COTS milestones. Once that
work is completed NASA and SpaceX will set the target date for the
company's first full cargo mission.

In addition to fostering the development of new American cargo
vehicles, NASA also is helping spur innovation and development of new
spacecraft and launch vehicles from the commercial industry to
develop safe, reliable and cost-effective capabilities to transport
astronauts to low Earth orbit and the space station.

NASA also is developing the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System
(SLS), a crew capsule and heavy-lift rocket that will provide an
entirely new capability for human exploration beyond low Earth orbit.
Designed to be flexible for launching spacecraft for crew and cargo
missions, SLS and Orion will expand human presence beyond low Earth
orbit and enable new missions of exploration across the solar system.

For SpaceX mission information and a schedule of NASA TV coverage,
visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/spacex

For more information about the International Space Station, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/station

For more information about NASA's commercial space programs, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/commercial

-end-

Chris Bergin · « **Reply #331 on:** 05/31/2012 06:03 pm »

Heh! Just Josh!!

Chris-A · « **Reply #332 on:** 05/31/2012 06:04 pm »

Chris-A · « **Reply #333 on:** 05/31/2012 06:05 pm »

Robotbeat · « **Reply #334 on:** 05/31/2012 06:06 pm »

Some (construction?) banging noises in the background.

Chris Bergin · « **Reply #335 on:** 05/31/2012 06:07 pm »

Over to SpaceX!

Elon: This has been a fantastic day. It really couldn't have gone better. We look forward to doing many more missions and pushing the technology.

Alan: It's a super great day. Talking about COTS. We became your customer today. Believe we're close to CRS. You've returned those hopes into a reality.

Elon: Thanks for placing your faith in SpaceX and helping make our dreams come true.

Both sound very tired, as probably expected!

Chris-A · « **Reply #336 on:** 05/31/2012 06:11 pm »

Elon has come to life.

PFK · « **Reply #337 on:** 05/31/2012 06:13 pm »

Forgot to thank everyone for the great coverage, and especially Chris for this venue. Watched it live, but when I didn't trust my ears or eyes this was The place to confirm. Like the firing of thrusters; "did I just see that"...checks... Yes I dit. Awesome!

Sorry for the OT.

Chris Bergin · « **Reply #338 on:** 05/31/2012 06:13 pm »

Questions.

Boats are with the Dragon - looks really good. Ready to attach the cables.

To politics: It shows commercial space can be successful, in partnership with NASA but in a different way, it shows that different way works and we should reinforce that. Want kids to be inspired, seems to have got their attention. When you have something that works you've got to follow through.

On flawless success: When you are involved with a vehicle, you know what can go wrong. There's a 1000 ways it could fail. So this may sound odd, but when you see it actually work you are surprised. Not to say we didn't expect it to work. You're like "wow, it didn't fail!"

On turnaround to CRS-1: Don't think it's going to take very long. All criteria looks very solid. Only got to recover and access in Texas to complete the formal objectives. Quick look report from SpaceX next week. Final report several weeks later. Don't think it's going to take very long to know this was a very successful mission.

Elon notes the LIDAR issues, not an issue for the future.

Hoping to have good images of Dragon within the hour.

Chris-A · « **Reply #339 on:** 05/31/2012 06:14 pm »

Elon is expecting the splashdown images will come within an hour.
A lot going on this year and next.