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Original title: Long spaceship took off with 4 astronauts to start the “space taxi” business
SpaceX officially launched the “space taxi” business, and the Crew Dragon spacecraft was put into commercial operation and entered the normal launch period.
At 7:27 p.m. on November 15, ET, SpaceX’s manned dragon spacecraft “Resilience” aboard the Falcon 9 rocket ignited from Launch Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. , sending 4 astronauts to the International Space Station for execution. SpaceX Crew-1’s first commercial manned mission.
After approximately 27 hours of flight, NASA astronauts Michael Hopkins (Michael Hopkins), Victor Glover (Victor Glover), Shannon Walker (Shannon Walker), and Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi (Soichi) Noguchi) will arrive at the space station and He will return to Earth after conducting a six-month space station mission.
This launch is the first commercial manned flight to use a NASA-certified Dragon spacecraft, and it is also the second time that NASA has used a private spacecraft to send astronauts into a predetermined orbit.
The Crew-2 mission next spring will also send NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough, Megan McArthur, French astronaut Thomas Pesquet, and Japanese astronauts. Akihiko Hoshide is heading to the International Space Station.
Start of “Space Taxi” business, manned space launch back to the United States
From the first flight of the space shuttle in 1981 to the last landing of the space shuttle Atlantis on July 21, 2011, the winged orbiter family has been NASA’s main force in space travel for decades.
After the American space shuttle retired in 2011, the United States relied on Russian spacecraft to transport astronauts to and from the space station. However, the fare for the Russian Soyuz spacecraft has risen, and a “ship ticket” once went up to about 86 million US dollars.
To change this passive situation, NASA strongly supports the development of commercial manned spaceflight. In 2014, Boeing and SpaceX received significant contracts of US $ 4.2 billion and US $ 2.6 billion from NASA, respectively, to build the manned “Interplanetary” spacecraft and the Crew Dragon spacecraft.
Although the first unmanned test flight of the “Interplanetary Plane” failed and Boeing is still preparing for a complementary test, the Long spacecraft has sent astronauts to the International Space Station for the second time. The SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft system, including the Falcon 9 rocket and related ground systems, is the first new type of spacecraft that has been certified by NASA and can regularly carry astronauts from the space shuttle nearly 40 years ago.
The Dragon spaceship can deliver goods or transport people. On May 30 of this year, the Crew Dragon spacecraft sent NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley to the International Space Station for the first manned test flight. At the end of the test The first ring examines the entire process of the spacecraft system from launch, docking on the International Space Station, to splashing and falling.
After 64 days in orbit, the manned dragon spacecraft successfully returned on August 2. NASA and SpaceX learned of the Dragon spacecraft’s first manned flight test mission and incorporated it into the spacecraft design, and made some adjustments to the Crew-1 mission hardware and procedures.
At that time, after the Dragon spacecraft returned to Earth, SpaceX engineers discovered that several specific areas of the heat shield were showing more severe wear than expected. Therefore, scientific researchers have strengthened the spacecraft’s return cabin heat shield for this flight mission and modified the vulnerable parts.
Another improvement is adjusting the pressure sensor that makes the parachute open during the splashing process. During its return to Earth in August this year, the height of the spacecraft’s parachute when deployed was slightly lower than expected. The sensor adjustment will ensure that the Crew-1 mission astronauts can open the parachute earlier and higher when they return.
After several improvements, at the end of the flight readiness review on November 10, NASA signed the official certification document for the Dragon spacecraft. The Crew-1 mission is the first commercial manned flight to use a NASA-certified Dragon spacecraft, and it is also the second time that NASA has used a private spacecraft to send astronauts into a predetermined orbit. The Crew Dragon spacecraft officially opened the “space taxi” business for NASA.
“I am very proud to say that we are using American rockets and spacecraft to bring regular manned space launches back to the United States.” NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said this certification milestone was achieved by NASA and SpaceX. The incredible achievement highlights the progress NASA can make in cooperation with commercial enterprises.
If the mission can be completed successfully, it also means that the United States will regain the lead in manned spaceflight, and NASA will no longer have to spend a heavy price to fully rely on Russia to go into space and ultimately get ahead.
Andrei Ionin, an expert at the Tsiolkovsky Space Academy in Moscow, once said that if SpaceX starts launching all American astronauts, Russia “may lose more than $ 200 million per year.” “This is a significant loss to the Russian Federal Space Agency budget of approximately $ 2 billion.
The space station expanded to 7 people for the first time, and 4 more people will be dispatched next spring.
Launch Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida is a monumental launch site. In history, a total of 82 space shuttles were launched from this launch pad and left Earth. The Apollo 11 astronauts set out from here on the Moon. The latest release is here too.
In the Tesla Model X, the four astronauts reached the launch pad about 3 hours before launch. There was an episode where the launch pad was in place. Foreign solid particles in the Long spacecraft’s hatch caused a small pressure drop in the cabin prior to launch.
After the astronauts sat in the cockpit of the spacecraft, the hatch was closed and the spacecraft was checked for tightness. During the inspection, the professionals found that the pressure in the cabin had dropped, so they decided to open the hatch cover for a more detailed inspection.
When reporting the results of the inspection, a SpaceX spokesperson mentioned that the professionals found some kind of foreign body, which may have damaged the airtightness of the spacecraft. After the inspection, removal of foreign objects and lubrication, the door was closed again, and the second inspection of the seal passed and the launch proceeded as scheduled.
Approximately 9 minutes after leaving Launch Pad 39A, the first stage rocket landed on the unmanned pad “please read instructions” in the Atlantic Ocean. SpaceX plans to use the recovered first-stage rocket to launch the Crew-2 mission next spring, dispatching NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough, Megan McArthur, and French astronaut Thomas. · Thomas Pesquet and Japanese astronaut Akihiko Hoshide head to the International Space Station. The Crew-3 mission is expected to arrive in late summer or early fall next year.
About 12 minutes after launch, the ship’s arrow detached. Later, Hopkins told SpaceX flight controllers by radio: “It’s really hard to make history, you make it look easy. Congratulations to all, Resilience has entered orbit.”
Last time it took Benken and Hurley 19 hours to catch up with the International Space Station. This time, the four astronauts took about 27 hours to reach their destination. The spacecraft is expected to dock with the International Space Station around 11:00 p.m. on November 16.
After successful docking, 4 astronauts will join the group of 3 already on the space station, including NASA astronaut Kate Rubins (Kate Rubins), Russian astronaut Sergey Ryzhikov (Sergey Ryzhikov) and including Sergey Kud-Sverchkov , the number of astronauts on the International Space Station increased to seven for the first time.
As early as November 9 before launch, Hopkins mentioned that after the Dragon spacecraft arrived at the space station, the space station might get a bit crowded. There is currently a shortage of sleeping capsules on the space station. Hopkins said he will sleep on the Dragon spacecraft until another sleeping capsule arrives at the space station. And this sleeping capsule can reach the space station during missions or after the “Resilient” Dragon spacecraft returns to Earth.
However, NASA emphasizes that the increase in the number of astronauts is a means to increase the scientific output of the space station. “We hope to have additional capabilities, which will allow us to strengthen scientific research and promote exploration and development,” said NASA International Space Station project manager Joel Montalbano.
