18 thoughts on “Tests Of The Dragon Crew Escape System”
If I were guessing, I would postulate that they want to reuse an already flown F9 1st stage for this test.
(At least the 2nd test) IE the test will get scheduled when the barge brings one home whole.
I don’t know about that. If they did, then they’d be testing two unrelated systems, either of which could destroy the other test.
If that were the case that would only involve the assent abort test, they could go ahead with the pad abort test without a used Falcon 9 first stage if they were otherwise ready to do so. Which apparently they are not.
Probably because they are making sure that it will work properly on the first try. Given the number of congressmen, rivals and journalists just waiting to pounce on a failure, it’s the only prudent approach.
This is a test to see if adding a post will get the other posts to appear. The software says that there are two posts to this article, but when I click on it, no posts appear.
testing
Yep, it worked. Now the other posts show up. Strange how that happens.
I’ve seen the same issue. I don’t know if it is a caching problem or what.
Ditto here and sometimes it brings up the mobile version but at least the switcher button is back. I find it hardly effects the flavor of the free ice cream though.
I wonder how long NASA will keep giving them extensions. It’d be embarrassing if the first commercial crew mission went to Boeing. Maybe SpaceX can spend some of Google/Fidelity’s $1 billion on Dragon 2 development and testing.
Boeing isn’t going to fly anything any time soon.
I’m not even sure this is an “extension.” Just a restatement of the schedule by SpaceX. I don’t know what the contract milestone requirement is, in terms of date.
The pad abort and launch abort tests were milestones in SpaceX’s original commercial crew contract, worth $30 million apiece, with a completion deadline of August 31, 2014. Last June NASA gave SpaceX a seven-month extension, moving the deadline to March 31, 2015. Now it isn’t clear that they will meet that target.
As long as they fly before the ISS is mothballed it is probably ok.
Somehow I doubt Boeing will fly before SpaceX. If ever.
Putting SpaceX valuation over $10b. Wish I could get some.
They probably underestimated the production time. The fact is the Dragon 2.0 is totally different from Dragon 1.0. I would not be surprised if it is also suffering from the Second System Effect and they just piled on too many features on it. Then there are the distractions. I would not be surprised if the people who are working on the Falcon-9R bits overlap with those working on Dragon 2.0 propulsive reentry. So when the Falcon-9R was delayed it also ended up delaying the Dragon 2.0 test.
Could they be having problems with the SuperDraco thrusters? When are they going to be doing Dragon propulsive landing tests, à la Grasshopper?
Was this initial abort test supposed to land the capsule by parachute, or was it to be soft landed by thrusters alone? If by thrusters, it certainly sounds complex and I can see it taking a while to gain confidence it will work.
I believe that if the Super Draco’s are used for abort the vehicle must then land under parachute, as there is not enough fuel to do both an abort and a propulsive landing.
That’s my understanding. The parachutes will be retained for use in case of an abort.
If I were guessing, I would postulate that they want to reuse an already flown F9 1st stage for this test.
(At least the 2nd test) IE the test will get scheduled when the barge brings one home whole.
I don’t know about that. If they did, then they’d be testing two unrelated systems, either of which could destroy the other test.
If that were the case that would only involve the assent abort test, they could go ahead with the pad abort test without a used Falcon 9 first stage if they were otherwise ready to do so. Which apparently they are not.
Probably because they are making sure that it will work properly on the first try. Given the number of congressmen, rivals and journalists just waiting to pounce on a failure, it’s the only prudent approach.
This is a test to see if adding a post will get the other posts to appear. The software says that there are two posts to this article, but when I click on it, no posts appear.
testing
Yep, it worked. Now the other posts show up. Strange how that happens.
I’ve seen the same issue. I don’t know if it is a caching problem or what.
Ditto here and sometimes it brings up the mobile version but at least the switcher button is back. I find it hardly effects the flavor of the free ice cream though.
I wonder how long NASA will keep giving them extensions. It’d be embarrassing if the first commercial crew mission went to Boeing. Maybe SpaceX can spend some of Google/Fidelity’s $1 billion on Dragon 2 development and testing.
Boeing isn’t going to fly anything any time soon.
I’m not even sure this is an “extension.” Just a restatement of the schedule by SpaceX. I don’t know what the contract milestone requirement is, in terms of date.
The pad abort and launch abort tests were milestones in SpaceX’s original commercial crew contract, worth $30 million apiece, with a completion deadline of August 31, 2014. Last June NASA gave SpaceX a seven-month extension, moving the deadline to March 31, 2015. Now it isn’t clear that they will meet that target.
As long as they fly before the ISS is mothballed it is probably ok.
Somehow I doubt Boeing will fly before SpaceX. If ever.
Putting SpaceX valuation over $10b. Wish I could get some.
They probably underestimated the production time. The fact is the Dragon 2.0 is totally different from Dragon 1.0. I would not be surprised if it is also suffering from the Second System Effect and they just piled on too many features on it. Then there are the distractions. I would not be surprised if the people who are working on the Falcon-9R bits overlap with those working on Dragon 2.0 propulsive reentry. So when the Falcon-9R was delayed it also ended up delaying the Dragon 2.0 test.
Could they be having problems with the SuperDraco thrusters? When are they going to be doing Dragon propulsive landing tests, à la Grasshopper?
Was this initial abort test supposed to land the capsule by parachute, or was it to be soft landed by thrusters alone? If by thrusters, it certainly sounds complex and I can see it taking a while to gain confidence it will work.
I believe that if the Super Draco’s are used for abort the vehicle must then land under parachute, as there is not enough fuel to do both an abort and a propulsive landing.
That’s my understanding. The parachutes will be retained for use in case of an abort.