[ad_1]
Curt Godwin
July 3, 2018
SpaceX Crew Dragon arrives at the International Space Station. Photo Credit: James Vaughan / SpaceFlight Insider
After being recently subject to Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) testing, the SpaceX Crew Dragon is getting closer to readiness with the completion of two key tests.
SpaceX's Dragon SpaceX spacecraft descended into a vacuum test chamber at NASA's Plum Brook station. Photo Credit: SpaceX
In a test, Crew Dragon was subjected to conditions similar to those he will encounter in the space. This has been done to ensure that the spacecraft can operate in a high altitude environment. The vehicle is the same as the one that was hired to fly on the first unannounced flight of the company – Demonstration Mission 1 – in the second half of this year (2018). To achieve this, the spacecraft was placed in a vacuum chamber. NASA Plum Brook Station in Ohio
The chamber, which is part of the propulsion installation in the space ([19659006] ISP ), is the only site in the world capable of testing spacecraft, launch vehicle launchers and even rocket engines in conditions similar to those encountered at the time of the launch. 39, a typical mission. The chamber, with a usable volume greater than 47,000 cubic feet (1,330 cubic meters), can accommodate engines producing up to 1,000 kilograms of thrust (1,779 kilonewtons).
Beyond being able to simulate atmospheric conditions at such an altitude level, the chamber can also produce temperatures similar to those that a vehicle in orbit could encounter. With a wall incorporating a liquid nitrogen cooling system, the chamber can be cooled to -320 degrees Fahrenheit (-195.6 degrees Celsius) while a quartz heating system can subject the equipment to simulate solar heating.
in El Centro, California, a test article of Dragon Crew underwent a parachute test after being dropped from a helicopter
The test, which was the sixteenth of test regime of the capsule, checked the ability of the parachute system to slow down. a low-level abortion. Immediately after his fall from the helicopter, the spacecraft deployed a series of parachutes – each set designed to perform a different task, stabilize the descending capsule to gently lower the spacecraft to the ground – resulting from the dragon's touch crew in the desert
The first manned flying Dragon should fly this year (2018), but NASA may have to fly in 2019, forcing the Falcon 9 to launch seven times on Falcon 9 before being allowed to carry astronauts in space.
SpaceX and Boeing were awarded contracts in September 2014 to develop Crew Dragon and the CST-100 spacecraft to transport astronauts to and from the International Space Station. Since the end of the Space Shuttle program in 2011, NASA has not been able to launch its own teams. Instead, the space agency depended on Russian Soyuz-FG rockets and their Soyuz spacecraft to reach the laboratory in orbit.
SpaceX plans to launch Crew Dragon aboard the ISS via the Falcon 9 rocket of the company NewSpace. Boeing, meanwhile, used the Atlas V launch vehicle from the Colorado-based United Launch Alliance. Starliner is currently scheduled for launch from Space Launch Complex 41 of the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, while Crew Dragon is expected to take the skies from Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A.
Curt Godwin
Curt Godwin enjoys exploring the space for as long as he can remember, keeping his eyes fixed on the sky from an early age. Initially specializing in nuclear engineering, Curt later decided that computers would be a more interesting – and safer – career field. He has worked in the field of educational technology for over 20 years and has been published in professional journals and peers, and he is a respected authority in the field of wireless network engineering. Throughout this period of his life, he has maintained his love for all space and written about his experiences at various NASA events, both on his personal blog and as an independent media representative .
Source link
