NASA Approves SpaceX's Plans to Send Astronauts to Space Station
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  1. #1

    NASA Approves SpaceX's Plans to Send Astronauts to Space Station

    by Elizabeth Howell, SPACE.com Contributor | January 07, 2015 11:23am ET
    launch-america-nasa-graphic.jpg

    SpaceX's Dragon capsule is one step closer to flying astronauts to and from the International Space Station.

    SpaceX has passed NASA's "certification baseline review," which required the California-based company to outline exactly how it plans to ferry crews to and from the orbiting lab using the Dragon spacecraft and its Falcon 9 rocket under SpaceX's Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap) contract with the space agency.

    "This milestone sets the pace for the rigorous work ahead as SpaceXmeets the certification requirements outlined in our contract," Kathryn Lueders, manager of NASA's Commercial Crew Program, said in a statement. "It is very exciting to see SpaceX's proposed path to certification, including a flight test phase and completion of the system development."

    The Commercial Crew Program has been encouraging the development of private American spacecraft, with the aim of returning astronauts into space from U.S. soil by 2017 or so. NASA has relied on Russian Soyuz spacecraft to do this work since the space shuttle fleet was grounded in 2011.

    NASA has tapped SpaceX and Boeing to provide this orbital taxi service; the space agency awarded both companies multibillion contracts last September to complete work on the vehicles. (Boeing is also developing a capsule, which the aerospace giant calls the CST-100.)

    Relying on the private sector for access to low-Earth orbit should free NASA up to work on getting astronauts farther afield, such as to a near-Earth asteroid and Mars, agency officials have said.

    But SpaceX still has a lot of milestones to check off before Dragon and the Falcon 9 are ready to carry astronauts into space. While the CCtCap contract will culminate with at least one test flight with an astronaut in the spacecraft, the company is first expected to show how its operations, systems and materials will stand up to the rigors of space.

    Dragon is expected to last up to 210 days while docked to the International Space Station, providing an escape route if astronauts need to leave the orbiting complex quickly.

    http://www.space.com/28187-spacex-dr...l?cmpid=558939

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  2. #2
    I am sure we could all pool our change and paid for carrvy going to the space station, one way of course!!!!!!!!

    SEMPER FI,


  3. #3
    I think that they quit sending monkeys up, so carv is out of luck.


  4. #4
    I see SpaceX launch was scrubbed, they are going to try to soft land their booster back onto a floating barge.. that will be on heck of a feat..


  5. #5
    Phantom Blooper
    Guest Free Member
    I am sure we could all pool our change and paid for carrvy going to the space station, one way of course!!!!!!!!

    SEMPER FI,
    The whole carrvy or just ashes in a tube? Either way I'm in!


  6. #6
    Phantom Blooper
    Guest Free Member
    Just got back from spending the night at the space coast for the launch this morning.....checked the passenger list and embark list....he wasn't onboard........DAMN!


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