SpaceX's Crew Dragon Capsule Destroyed In Engine Test | Scott Manley
Posted on 04/20/2019 8:48:34 PM PDT by BenLurkin
According to Florida Today, large plumes of smoke were seen emanating from the area, indicating something had gone wrong. There were no injuries caused by the anomaly, which is now under control, according to officials with the 45th Space Wing based at the Air Force station.
SpaceX plans to use its Crew Dragon capsule to ferry NASA astronauts to and from the International Space Station. The capsule successfully flew for the first time in March. During the uncrewed mission, the spacecraft docked itself with the space station and then returned to Earth, splashing down in the Atlantic Ocean.
That first flight was a major milestone for SpaceX, and one it needed to complete before Dragon can carry people. Since its return, the company has been busy preparing the vehicle for its next task: an inflight abort test.
This crucial test will demonstrate that the capsule is capable of keeping astronaut crews safe should something go wrong during the launch into orbit. (The system is similar to the emergency abort system on the Soyuz rocket, which saved two astronauts during a mishap last October.) SpaceX was planning on conducting that test sometime in June.
During the test, eight SuperDraco engines — which are embedded in the Dragon's hull — will fire, demonstrating that the spacecraft can pull itself away from the rocket. Designed to keep a crew safe, this feature will only be used in case of an emergency during flight, but SpaceX must show it works properly. SpaceX performed a successful pad abort in 2015 using the system.
(Excerpt) Read more at space.com ...
I take it these motors replace the old style “escape tower” rockets?
CC
*ping*
Yes and no. The ‘escape tower’ rocket Launch Escape System is the same general idea - get the crew out if the launch goes bad - but instead of pulling just the small crew capsule off the rocket stack like the Mercury and Apollo LES did, the Dragon LES is an integrated part of the vehicle.
Basically, the system is designed to take the occupants *and* the payload off the rocket stack and it does not have to be jettisoned once the craft gets a certain distance up or away. The idea is to be able to get the capsule away from a malfunctioning rocket at any point in flight to save lives and the payload. If it works, a Challenger type situation would likely be survivable - including the landing.
Thanks fieldmarshaldj. "I said Bud Light."
SpaceX's Crew Dragon Capsule Destroyed In Engine Test | Scott Manley
Strapping on a rocket is a dangerous activity.
Ellen will fix it with a few new lines of code.
Purported video of the event. at the link
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