Dragon 2 on display at Newseum in DC on Wed June 11, 2014

[Blackstar]

I was there. Took these a couple of hours ago.

The sign out front and my pass.

[Blackstar]

They had it open. You could go in. It was warm and muggy in DC.

[Blackstar]

Some more pics.

[Blackstar]

They had booze and some really good hors d'oeuvres. Also SpaceX bathrooms.

[Blackstar]

We could walk into the front of the Newseum, but the museum was closed. Here's a tower from East Germany, the Berlin Wall, and a satellite hanging from the ceiling.

[Blackstar]

Some guy named Elon showed up.

[Blackstar]

I don't think this is flight hardware. They wouldn't have let us climb into flight hardware. They'll declare it ground test at some point.

[QuantumG]

I don't think this is flight hardware. They wouldn't have let us climb into flight hardware. They'll declare it ground test at some point.

Why, do you think you're going to break it?

It'd be pretty hard to claim that your vehicle is the safest thing since Ralph Wiggum's scissors if it can't even handle a few dozen people climbing through it.

[TrueBlueWitt]

I don't think this is flight hardware. They wouldn't have let us climb into flight hardware. They'll declare it ground test at some point.

Maybe that's the point.. It's not "delicate" like a typical capsule? 

If you're making it re-usable..  and potentially taking up space tourist's.. 
Doesn't it need to be more robust and less sensitive to everyday wear and tear?

The more important question is..
Did it look like the capsule was designed to be flight capable?

[cscott]

I don't think this is flight hardware. They wouldn't have let us climb into flight hardware. They'll declare it ground test at some point.

Maybe that's the point.. It's not "delicate" like a typical capsule? 

Also, note that this is specifically the flight test article for the first abort test.  I doubt the inside is going to get any more work done on it -- you don't need environmental controls and lockers and final berthing hardware for an abort test.  So who cares if the VIPs scratch the interiors?

Similarly, the TPS isn't going to be used on an abort test, so who cares if the PICA-X gets some dents?

The important parts are the tanks and engines.  The jury is still out, but I wouldn't be terribly surprised if the flight test *engines and tanks and plumbing* weren't all installed yet. (There might be engines installed, but maybe not the flight test engines.)  And those bits should be relatively well-protected in any case.

Edit: could someone double-check my memory here?  After writing the above I suddenly couldn't remember if Elon had said this Dragon was "going to orbit" or not.  If this is the first unmanned orbital test vehicle, then everything I wrote above is bogus...

[kraisee]

@Blackstar,
They should get some reasonably good information on which bits snag people's hair and which parts get rubbed and scratched a lot when ordinary people start bangin' around inside.   That should actually be pretty useful data to them at some point down the road.

And there's absolutely no reason why they won't fly this same pressure vessel chassis at some point -- albeit probably with some of the inner/outer bits replaced.    I'd bet they use it as part of the McGregor ground-hops, or perhaps the pad abort or max-q abort test flights.   Those would all be good uses for this expensive-to-build hardware and they don't like to waste such things.

Who knows, this one capsule could maybe even be used for all three of these different tests.   They're trying to make it reusable after all...

Ross.

[Sesquipedalian]

Edit: could someone double-check my memory here?  After writing the above I suddenly couldn't remember if Elon had said this Dragon was "going to orbit" or not.  If this is the first unmanned orbital test vehicle, then everything I wrote above is bogus...

He said "Actual flight hardware, not a mockup".  He didn't say anything else either on Twitter or during the unveiling about where it would go.  So this seems compatible with merely the abort test vehicle rather than a full orbital spaceship.

[cscott]

Edit: could someone double-check my memory here?  After writing the above I suddenly couldn't remember if Elon had said this Dragon was "going to orbit" or not.  If this is the first unmanned orbital test vehicle, then everything I wrote above is bogus...

He said "Actual flight hardware, not a mockup".  He didn't say anything else either on Twitter or during the unveiling about where it would go.  So this seems compatible with merely the abort test vehicle rather than a full orbital spaceship.

Ah, I found it: it was Helodriver who said Musk said this was going to orbit, while sublimemarsupial said this was the abort test vehicle:

This vehicle will fly into orbit

Did you get confirmation of this last night? As far as I am aware this is the pad abort and inflight abort test vehicle, and it will not be going to orbit.

What Elon told me directly is that this one is going to orbit.

Note however that the recorded transcript of Helodriver's conversation with Musk says, "Most of what you see here is flight hardware."  See http://shitelonsays.com/transcript/spacex-dragon-2-unveil-qa-2014-05-29

So it's possible that Helodriver is misremembering.

Maybe Helodriver will respond here and clarify.

[sublimemarsupial]

Edit: could someone double-check my memory here?  After writing the above I suddenly couldn't remember if Elon had said this Dragon was "going to orbit" or not.  If this is the first unmanned orbital test vehicle, then everything I wrote above is bogus...

He said "Actual flight hardware, not a mockup".  He didn't say anything else either on Twitter or during the unveiling about where it would go.  So this seems compatible with merely the abort test vehicle rather than a full orbital spaceship.

Ah, I found it: it was Helodriver who said Musk said this was going to orbit, while sublimemarsupial said this was the abort test vehicle:

This vehicle will fly into orbit

Did you get confirmation of this last night? As far as I am aware this is the pad abort and inflight abort test vehicle, and it will not be going to orbit.

What Elon told me directly is that this one is going to orbit.

Note however that the recorded transcript of Helodriver's conversation with Musk says, "Most of what you see here is flight hardware."  See http://shitelonsays.com/transcript/spacex-dragon-2-unveil-qa-2014-05-29

So it's possible that Helodriver is misremembering.

Maybe Helodriver will respond here and clarify.

I was told late last fall that the hardware they would eventually be showing off was the pad abort vehicle, so it's quite possible that plans changed since then, SpaceX moves fast. Or the person I talked to was mistaken, also possible.

At any rate, I would trust anything helodriver heard from Elon more.

[yg1968]

Musk gave some additional details on Dragon V2 at the DC event:
http://www.spacepolicyonline.com/news/first-crewed-dragon-flight-to-orbit-will-carry-nasa-astronauts

[CuddlyRocket]

Musk gave some additional details on Dragon V2 at the DC event:
http://www.spacepolicyonline.com/news/first-crewed-dragon-flight-to-orbit-will-carry-nasa-astronauts

Interesting ...

... the Dragon V2 will return to land using parachutes and propulsive landing systems. The goal is to land at Cape Canaveral, FL, but Musk said initial landings may be at White Sands, NM until they are certain of the spacecraft's landing precision.

First time we've heard that isn't it?

[Kabloona]

the Dragon V2 will return to land using parachutes and propulsive landing systems. The goal is to land at Cape Canaveral, FL, but Musk said initial landings may be at White Sands, NM until they are certain of the spacecraft's landing precision.

First time we've heard that isn't it?

Apparently so. I was guessing Edwards AFB for the test landing site since it's closer to the coast (and Hawthorne) than White Sands. But a landing on the lakebed at Edwards may require more precision than they are comfortable with for the first attempt.

[Jdeshetler]

He said "Actual flight hardware, not a mockup". 

Major flight hardware parts should have serial numbers or part numbers marked for quality control and documentation, mockup parts usually don't.

See Apollo hatch door for sample.

[Blackstar]

Apparently so. I was guessing Edwards AFB for the test landing site since it's closer to the coast (and Hawthorne) than White Sands. But a landing on the lakebed at Edwards may require more precision than they are comfortable with for the first attempt.

I suspect Edwards is also tougher to schedule. Too much going on there. And a colleague who has flown experimental UAVs at Edwards will talk your ear off about how insanely controlled and risk averse it is. Long gone are the days when Chuck Yeager could hop in a jet and go for a joy ride.

White Sands may have a more amenable culture, and they're used to things smashing into the ground because they test a lot of ordnance.

[woods170]

Apparently so. I was guessing Edwards AFB for the test landing site since it's closer to the coast (and Hawthorne) than White Sands. But a landing on the lakebed at Edwards may require more precision than they are comfortable with for the first attempt.

I suspect Edwards is also tougher to schedule. Too much going on there. And a colleague who has flown experimental UAVs at Edwards will talk your ear off about how insanely controlled and risk averse it is. Long gone are the days when Chuck Yeager could hop in a jet and go for a joy ride.

White Sands may have a more amenable culture, and they're used to things smashing into the ground because they test a lot of ordnance.

Although I very much doubt that SpaceX would want to have their precious Dragon mark 2 'smash' into the ground.