时间:2025-04-04 09:38:46 来源:网络整理编辑:百科
Space travel is set to take a pivotal step forward this weekend.SpaceX, in the first test demonstrat
Space travel is set to take a pivotal step forward this weekend.
SpaceX, in the first test demonstration of a commercial crew capsule designed to eventually send astronauts to the International Space Station, plans to launch its Crew Dragon spacecraft on Saturday, March 2, at 2:49 a.m. ET, from NASA's Kennedy Space Center.
The commercial spaceflight company has worked closely with NASA engineers to design a capsule that meets the agency's rigorous safety standards. This six-day mission -- which carries along a test dummy covered in sensors, nicknamed Ripley -- endeavors to blast into space, attach to the space station, and then parachute back down to Earth.
(There will be no humans aboard.)
"I’m very comfortable with where we’re headed with this flight. I fully expect we’re going to learn something on this flight. I guarantee you everything will not work exactly right. And that’s cool," Bill Gerstenmaier, the associate administrator for NASA’s human spaceflight program, said during a launch briefing last week, The Washington Postreports.
Tweet may have been deleted
"... We want to maximize our learning so we can get the stuff ready so when we put crew on we’re ready to go do a real crew mission,” Gerstenmaier said.
This launch is the opening gun in a new space race, specifically as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. The program involves NASA working with two partners, SpaceX and Boeing, to build revolutionary spacecraft to bring astronauts to the space station and low orbits around Earth.
SEE ALSO:NASA dropped a space exploration robot into Cape Cod’s waters to reach the darkest unknownsThe Dragon capsule holding Ripley -- which NASA calls an "anthropomorphic test device" -- will launch atop SpaceX's reusable Falcon 9 rocket -- the same rocket the company uses to launch supplies to the space station.
Unlike Elon Musk's Starman -- which SpaceX strapped tightly to a Roadster during last year's sensational test launch of the Falcon Heavy rocket -- Ripley serves an engineering purpose. Ripley, donning a sleek white spacesuit, is covered in sensors to measure the vibrations and sound occurring inside the capsule during its high-speed journeys to, around, and back to Earth.
Tweet may have been deleted
If the early Saturday morning launch goes as planned, the Dragon capsule will dock with the space station at 6:00 a.m. March 3, where it will stay for five days. Then, on Friday, March 8 at around 2:30 a.m. ET, the capsule will leave the space station and some five hours later fall through Earth's atmosphere. Soon after, the spacecraft will deploy four large parachutes to slow down.
NASA expects a gentle splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean off of Cape Canaveral, Florida at around 8:45 a.m. ET.
The U.S. has lacked both a rocket and spaceship to launch astronauts into space since the retirement of the Shuttle program, in 2011. Since then, NASA has had to purchase pricey seats aboard Russia's Soyuz rocket, which cost $81 million per seat.
Tweet may have been deleted
Acknowledging that there may be delays with the SpaceX and Boeing crew capsules, NASA has purchased two more future seats aboard the Soyuz rockets, one in 2019 and one in 2020, Space News reports.
But when SpaceX and Boeing's spacecraft do start carrying real passengers -- not test dummies -- the price for a ride into space will fall considerably, to around $58 million per seat, NASA said.
TopicsSpaceX
PlayStation Now game streaming is coming to PC2025-04-04 09:19
C羅領銜 ,葡萄牙提前出線!巴西創世界杯紀錄 !末輪形勢速覽(2018年世界杯小組賽比分)2025-04-04 09:19
今日公推解說 :克羅地亞VS巴西 ,世界杯預測 ,賽前快速分析(克羅地亞與西班牙預測實力對比)2025-04-04 09:06
很難預測是哪兩支球隊能晉級16強(日本進16強)2025-04-04 08:14
Olympian celebrates by ordering an intimidating amount of McDonald's2025-04-04 08:03
【波盈足球】 世足日韓表現誰更佳?亞洲6隊全出局但已寫下曆史 ( 日本,美聯社 )2025-04-04 07:48
梅西拯救阿根廷!創造10項紀錄 ,超越C羅追平馬拉多納 封王在即(馬拉多納與梅西世紀進球)2025-04-04 07:42
被質疑又如何 !梅西如願捧起第七座金球獎 ,曆史第一人坐實?(梅西到場送擁抱)2025-04-04 07:41
You will love/hate Cards Against Humanity's new fortune cookies2025-04-04 07:16
12.05世界杯足球預測 克羅地亞 巴西 情報推薦 !! !(克羅地亞vs法國預測)2025-04-04 07:15
You will love/hate Cards Against Humanity's new fortune cookies2025-04-04 09:30
【波盈足球】 世足相信隊友 「魔笛」 :李瓦柯維奇會擋下所有球 ( 日本隊,西亞 )2025-04-04 09:26
【波盈足球】 世足又是PK! 摩洛哥3比0擊沉西班牙首度晉8 ( 摩洛哥,西班牙 )2025-04-04 09:13
【波盈足球】 世足摩洛哥球迷上街慶祝大鬧 多個歐洲城市遭殃 ( 摩洛哥,美聯社 )2025-04-04 08:59
Here's George Takei chilling in zero gravity for the 'Star Trek' anniversary2025-04-04 08:48
內馬爾回歸 巴西隊4:1大勝韓國晉級八強(巴西對陣韓國比賽在線觀看)2025-04-04 08:06
世界杯1/4決賽結果預測 :內馬爾VS梅西,C羅VS姆巴佩,巔峰對決(世界杯還有8場比賽就結束了英語)2025-04-04 07:37
【波盈足球】 世足摩洛哥第一戰將 !齊亞赫獲讚「可比內馬 、姆巴佩」 ( 摩洛哥,前鋒 )2025-04-04 07:25
Is Samsung's Galaxy Note7 really the best phone?2025-04-04 07:23
【波盈足球】 西班牙苦練千次PK射門無用 布努讓對手努力化為泡影 ( 摩洛哥,西班牙 )2025-04-04 07:20