Ilon Mask presented the passenger version of the spacecraft Dragon
Today, the founder, CEO and Chief Engineer of SpaceX, Ilon Musk, presented the long-awaited passenger version of his Dragon spacecraft. The cargo version has already made several successful flights to the ISS. In parallel with the shipment of cargo to the International Space Station, the company SpaceX is testing the technology of reusable launch vehicles that will reduce the cost of launches several times.
Passenger "Dragon" can carry up to seven astronauts. Unlike the cargo version, it is able to dock with the ISS on its own, without using the station's manipulator. Some of its parts and assemblies, such as small shunting engines, have been unchanged from the first, cargo version. The main differences are the landing engines, the supports for a soft landing and, of course, the “salon” with astronaut seats and a control panel.
Just like the Falcon launch vehicle, the Dragon will land using engines and retractable supports. The ship is able to land safely even if two of the four landing engines fail. With the most serious problems landing will be carried out in the old-fashioned way - using a parachute. Most of the controls "Dragon" is made in the form of four large touch panels, reminiscent of those that are put in cars Tesla. However, the safety-critical functions are located on the centrally located dashboard. All ship designs, including the heat shield of the new generation, are designed for reusable use - according to Mask, with a regular landing, the Dragon will be ready for a new flight immediately after refueling and testing all systems.
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The presentation also showed separately some components and assemblies of the dragon - titanium-carbon high-pressure tanks for helium, which are needed to force fuel out of the tanks, SuperDraco landing engines fully printed on a 3D printer, each of which has a thrust of about eight tons, and shunting engines, the same as the cargo version. In addition to a soft landing, the engines also provide an additional degree of reliability - if problems arise with launch vehicles in the later stages of flight, the ship can be reached down to orbit with their help.
Mask skillfully uses the sharply intensified political confrontation between Russia and the United States to enter new markets. He has already sued the US Air Force, seeking to change the five-year contract between the military and the joint venture Boeing and Lockheed Martin, which is now launched by military satellites using Atlas-5 missiles with Russian-made RD-180 engines. Musk not only emphasizes that with the help of reusable launch vehicles of the Falcon series, launches will be several times cheaper, but also considers dependence on Russian supplies a threat to national security.
He uses the same argument for the promotion of Dragon - now the passenger communication with the ISS depends entirely on the Russian Soyuz. The authorities of the Russian Federation have already quite transparently hinted the United States on this dependence and threatened to curtail their participation in the ISS. Announcing on Twitter the upcoming presentation of the passenger "Dragon", Musk wrote : "It seems that now is the time to introduce the new ship Dragon Mk 2, on which SpaceX is working with NASA. We can do without a trampoline. ”
UPD: Full video presentation:
Passenger "Dragon" can carry up to seven astronauts. Unlike the cargo version, it is able to dock with the ISS on its own, without using the station's manipulator. Some of its parts and assemblies, such as small shunting engines, have been unchanged from the first, cargo version. The main differences are the landing engines, the supports for a soft landing and, of course, the “salon” with astronaut seats and a control panel.
Just like the Falcon launch vehicle, the Dragon will land using engines and retractable supports. The ship is able to land safely even if two of the four landing engines fail. With the most serious problems landing will be carried out in the old-fashioned way - using a parachute. Most of the controls "Dragon" is made in the form of four large touch panels, reminiscent of those that are put in cars Tesla. However, the safety-critical functions are located on the centrally located dashboard. All ship designs, including the heat shield of the new generation, are designed for reusable use - according to Mask, with a regular landing, the Dragon will be ready for a new flight immediately after refueling and testing all systems.
')
The presentation also showed separately some components and assemblies of the dragon - titanium-carbon high-pressure tanks for helium, which are needed to force fuel out of the tanks, SuperDraco landing engines fully printed on a 3D printer, each of which has a thrust of about eight tons, and shunting engines, the same as the cargo version. In addition to a soft landing, the engines also provide an additional degree of reliability - if problems arise with launch vehicles in the later stages of flight, the ship can be reached down to orbit with their help.
Mask skillfully uses the sharply intensified political confrontation between Russia and the United States to enter new markets. He has already sued the US Air Force, seeking to change the five-year contract between the military and the joint venture Boeing and Lockheed Martin, which is now launched by military satellites using Atlas-5 missiles with Russian-made RD-180 engines. Musk not only emphasizes that with the help of reusable launch vehicles of the Falcon series, launches will be several times cheaper, but also considers dependence on Russian supplies a threat to national security.
He uses the same argument for the promotion of Dragon - now the passenger communication with the ISS depends entirely on the Russian Soyuz. The authorities of the Russian Federation have already quite transparently hinted the United States on this dependence and threatened to curtail their participation in the ISS. Announcing on Twitter the upcoming presentation of the passenger "Dragon", Musk wrote : "It seems that now is the time to introduce the new ship Dragon Mk 2, on which SpaceX is working with NASA. We can do without a trampoline. ”
UPD: Full video presentation:
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/224597/
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