https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/...-year.html
EXCERPT: Elon Musk says the Crew Dragon craft may soon be ready for human passengers. The capsule, along with its Falcon 9 rocket, could be ready by December. Before it launches its first humans into space it has to pass a critical safety test. Crew Dragon notoriously burst into flames during tests earlier this year.
[...] The last hurtle before being approved for the major step will be a critical launch trial in which the Crew Dragon's In-Flight Abort functions are tested. During this test, the craft is launched into high-altitude and is tasked with aborting the capsule during high-velocity, the most stressful point of the launch. The upcoming test will be particularly noteworthy considering the fact that others like have gone horribly awry this year.
In April SpaceX was testing Dragon's abort when an error resulted in the destruction of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule, engulfing it in flames. These thrusters will play a critical role in future launches with astronauts on board; they're designed to safely steer the capsule away from the rocket in the case of an emergency.
SpaceX is among the companies looking to pave the way for commercial space flight ... The Crew Dragon features an advanced emergency escape system (which was tested earlier this year) to swiftly carry astronauts to safety if something were to go wrong, experiencing about the same G-forces as a ride at Disneyland. The capsule measures about 20 feet tall by 12 feet in diameter, and will carry up to 7 astronauts at a time. The capsule is designed to eventually shuttle both astronauts and commercial passengers into space and is poised to kickstart a space tourism industry. (MORE)
EXCERPT: Elon Musk says the Crew Dragon craft may soon be ready for human passengers. The capsule, along with its Falcon 9 rocket, could be ready by December. Before it launches its first humans into space it has to pass a critical safety test. Crew Dragon notoriously burst into flames during tests earlier this year.
[...] The last hurtle before being approved for the major step will be a critical launch trial in which the Crew Dragon's In-Flight Abort functions are tested. During this test, the craft is launched into high-altitude and is tasked with aborting the capsule during high-velocity, the most stressful point of the launch. The upcoming test will be particularly noteworthy considering the fact that others like have gone horribly awry this year.
In April SpaceX was testing Dragon's abort when an error resulted in the destruction of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule, engulfing it in flames. These thrusters will play a critical role in future launches with astronauts on board; they're designed to safely steer the capsule away from the rocket in the case of an emergency.
SpaceX is among the companies looking to pave the way for commercial space flight ... The Crew Dragon features an advanced emergency escape system (which was tested earlier this year) to swiftly carry astronauts to safety if something were to go wrong, experiencing about the same G-forces as a ride at Disneyland. The capsule measures about 20 feet tall by 12 feet in diameter, and will carry up to 7 astronauts at a time. The capsule is designed to eventually shuttle both astronauts and commercial passengers into space and is poised to kickstart a space tourism industry. (MORE)