Issue 7 | Volume 151 |March 5, 2019
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A Campus B Industry & Technology
Demo-1 Q&A Q: What is the purpose of Demo-1? A: To test the Crew Dragon capsule and its ability to operate in a real space environment, in anticipation of later crewed launches. Q: Is this a NASA launch or a SpaceX launch? A: Both, actually, since SpaceX and NASA participated in a Public-Private Partnership to develop the Crew Dragon capsule.
SpaceX, NASA CCP Launch Demo-1
Rajan Khanna/The Avion Newspaper
The first Commercial Crew Program (CCP) mission test flight, Demo-1, launched from Kennedy Space Center in the early hours of Feb. 2, the first step in NASA’s plan to return human spaceflight capability to the United States. Demo-1 is an uncrewed mission to the ISS that will test the skills of the SpaceX Crew Dragon, also known as the Dragon 2, capsule which was developed under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) between NASA and SpaceX. This landmark mission will be the first step in the process to get the Crew Dragon certified as a human spaceflight vehicle. Riding aboard a Falcon 9, Demo-1 launched from Launchpad 39A, the site that once launched Apollo and Space Shuttle missions and is currently operated by SpaceX. A few minutes after the launch, the Falcon 9 booster reentered and landed on the SpaceX drone ship, Of Course I Still Love You. The Crew Dragon capsule continued on its rendezvous mission with the ISS and autonomously docked with the Station on Mar. 3, slightly more than 24 hours after launch. The Crew Dragon will remain docked with the ISS for five days, until Mar. 8. After undocking with the ISS, the Crew Dragon will reenter the atmosphere and land in the Atlantic Ocean, where the capsule will be recovered and reused for an In-Flight Abort test later this year. Demo-1 is the first of three test missions required for the SpaceX
launch system. The purpose will ensure that all of the systems on the Crew Dragon system are functional and will test the space-worthiness of the capsule. It will also examine the autonomous rendezvous and docking capability of the Crew Dragon, which is the unassisted docking of the spacecraft without human interference or guidance, and the deorbit hardiness of the capsule. The next test is the In-Flight Abort, which will utilize the recovered Demo-1 capsule. The In-Flight Abort test will ensure that
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The Commercial Crew test flight missions are vital to ensuring the safety of the two Partner spacecraft.
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Jaclyn Wiley Editor-in-Chief
the capsule can escape the Falcon 9 launch vehicle in case of an emergency. This capability is vital since the Crew Dragon will carry astronauts and spaceflight participants. The third flight test of the Crew Dragon will be Demo-2, which will be the first crewed flight. NASA Astronauts Douglas G. Hurley and Robert L. Behnken will ride aboard this first flight test, which is currently scheduled for later this year. After the three flight tests, NASA will choose whether or not to certify the SpaceX system. If approved, SpaceX will be able to use the Crew Dragon system for human spaceflight missions. NASA has already planned several of these Post-Certification Missions (PCM), the first of which will fly NASA Astronauts Michael S. Hopkins
and Victor J. Glover. NASA is also working with another commercial company for the Commercial Crew Program, Boeing. Boeing is developing the CST-100 Starliner capsule, which will launch aboard a ULA Atlas V. The CST-100 will face the same tests as the SpaceX system, with three test flights. The first Boeing test flight, OFT-1, is currently scheduled for no earlier than Apr. 2019, with its In-Flight Abort and crewed mission, CFT-1, to follow later. An important distinction between the SpaceX and Boeing missions is that while the SpaceX capsule will make a water landing, the Boeing CST-100 will land in the desert in the Western US. The Commercial Crew test flight missions are vital to ensuring the safety of the two Partner spacecraft. While the test flights are the most visible safety tests for the CCP Partner systems, they are not the only ones. NASA and the Partners have conducted hundreds of tests on the spacecraft' operations, from hardware to software and everything in between. Human lives are at risk, so NASA has high and stringent safety requirements of the Partners. Though uncrewed, the Demo1 is a significant step forward in human spaceflight endeavors. NASA and SpaceX have made the first step forward in returning US human space launch capability, thereby reducing US reliance on Russia, and in encouraging the continued and increased utilization of the ISS and deep space exploration goals. Image Courtesy: NASA CCP
Q: Where is Demo-1 going? A: Demo-1 launched from Florida and docked with the ISS. The capsule will stay there for five days, and will then land in the Atlantic Ocean. Q: Are there people on it? A: No, though this is the first test of the Crew Dragon capsule, which will eventually carry astronauts. Q: When will the Crew Dragon carry astronauts? A: The first crewed mission, Demo-2, should be within the next year. Q: What Demo-1?
exactly
launched
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A: The SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule launched on a Falcon 9 booster. Q: Will any element of the mission be reused? A: Yes, both the booster and the capsule will be reused. The capsule will be reused for another flight test. The booster successfully landed on the drone ship after the launch. Q: Is there anything in the capsule? A: Yes, about 400 lbs of cargo and a anthropomorphic test device, named Ripley, outfitted with an array of sensors. Q: Is SpaceX the only company making a capsule like this? A: No, Boeing is also developing a crew capsule with NASA, the CST100 Starliner. Q: What is the Commercial Crew Program? A: The Commercial Crew Program, created in 2010, is a NASA development program that is partnering with the commercial companies SpaceX and Boeing to create new human transport spacecraft.