SpaceX will send astronauts into space for the first time: 10 questions about a historical mission

The Elon Musk company SpaceX is going to launch for the first time into space its own spacecraft Crew Dragon with astronauts on board. We answer the most common questions about this mission.

Why NASA astronauts launches into space a private company?

NASA planned to carry the crew of the International Space Station (ISS) from the early 2000s. After the Columbia spacecraft crashed while returning to Earth in 2003, the space agency focused on developing a spacecraft that could travel to the moon.

The involvement of private firms in the transportation of crew and cargo to the ISS was an important step to achieve this goal.

In 2014, Elon Musk, entrepreneur of the company SpaceX and aerospace giant Boeing, won a NASA contract to transport crews in space. SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spaceship will fly into space on Wednesday with the Falcon 9 launch vehicle from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

What is SpaceX?

SpaceX – the American company that provides services in the field of commercial and state-space flights using its Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets.

Entrepreneur Musk founded this company in 2002 with the goal of reducing the cost of space travel and making colonization of Mars possible.

SpaceX was the first privately held company to succeed in creating reusable launch vehicles. She regularly carried cargo to the ISS, and now she is going to transport astronauts as well.

The company Musk is now also creating a much larger space ship called Starship, which could transport more people. It is such a ship, according to Musk, that will be able when to begin the process of settling Mars.

Who is Elon Musk?

Musk was born in South Africa, but earned his millions in the United States. In particular, he was one of the founders of the global giant in the field of Internet payments – PayPal. When the system was sold to eBay, he received $ 160 million.

Dreaming that humanity would conquer space, Musk founded SpaceX. In addition, he took part in the creation of many other companies, such as the electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla. He is also an ideologist for a project called Hyperloop, an ultra-fast transportation system.

The bright personality of Elon Musk and his no less bright lifestyle made him a very popular person. Actor Robert Downey Jr., playing the role of comic book hero Tony Stark, was inspired by the image of Musk.

The entrepreneur also repeatedly became a defendant in scandalous stories. His Twitter posts became the subject of lawsuits and even led to his resignation as chairman of Tesla. But he still remains the CEO.

Why is this launch so important?

Since 2011, NASA has been paying Russia tens of millions of dollars to deliver its astronauts into space on its Soyuz spacecraft.

The flight of the Crew Dragon from Florida is the first launch of people into space from American Earth in the past nine years.

This is a crucial step to restore American prestige in the field of space travel.

In addition, for the first time, it is a private company that will launch astronauts into space.

What is a Crew Dragon?

Crew Dragon – a spaceship that will transport astronauts to the ISS on Wednesday. This is an improved version of the Dragon spaceship, which was designed to transport goods to orbital stations.

Crew Dragon is designed for seven passengers, but NASA plans to send no more than four astronauts into space, the remaining places will be taken by cargo.

Unlike previous spaceships designed to transport people, the control panel in the cockpit is equipped with a touch screen, not buttons.

Which astronauts will fly into space on the Crew Dragon?

Bob Benken and Doug Hurley are some of NASA’s most experienced astronauts. They were selected for flights in 2000, since then each of them flew twice into space.

Hurley spent in general 28 days and 11:00 on space flights, and Benken spent 29 days and 12:00, including 37 hours in outer space. They have both wives – also astronauts.

What will astronauts do in space?

Spacecraft intended for the transport of astronauts must undergo a full audit, which will confirm their safety. This launch is essentially the final step in this process. Once in orbit, Benken and Gurley experience the Crew Dragon control system in outer space, its efficiency and maneuverability.

Approaching the ISS, astronauts will check how the autonomous docking system works. And subsequently, they will join the station team.

Already on the ISS, they will continue to test the work of Crew Dragon. When the time comes to return to Earth, the ship will parachute in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, where a capsule with passengers will pick up a ship called Go Navigator.

What happens if something goes wrong during startup?

Crew Dragon has a built-in flight interruption system designed to save the life of its crew in case of an emergency.

If problems arise during take-off, for example, a rocket engine fails, Crew Dragon will disconnect the capsule with the astronauts, which will make a safe parachute landing. January 19, 2020 SpaceX successfully tested its flight interruption system.

What about spacesuits?

The costumes of Benken and Hurley will wear in the spaceship are not at all the same as before. Instead of voluminous watermelon suits and round helmets, the astronauts will have “slender”, white, solid overalls with elegant helmets.

The costumes look like it’s a science fiction movie. And this is not so surprising, because their appearance was designed by Hollywood costume designer Jose Fernandez, who worked on the films “Batman”, “X-Men” and “Thor”.

But the costumes are also practical. They are able to save the life of the crew in case of depressurization of the ship.

What’s next?

If the mission of Crew Dragon is successful, SpaceX will carry out six more flights to the ISS, which they must carry out under a contract with NASA for $ 2,6 billion.

Boeing has a similar agreement for $ 4,2 billion, according to which the company will transport the crew to the space station using its CST-100 Starliner device.

Source: bbc.com