SpaceX Dragon 2 - testing & updates

[DocM]

With the Dragon 2 drop test, pad abort test and next year's MaxQ abort test I guess it's time for a thread.

Let's start with a real life 3D printed rocket engine firing :)

3D printed SuperDraco launch abort & landing thruster firing on a SpaceX vertical test stand. It is printed using the Inconel super-alloy. Dragon 2 will have 8 SuperDraco's arranged in pairs around its perimeter.

concept art of a Dragon landing

[DocM]

In launch abort mode Dragon will use parachutes and a water landing, the SupetDraco's (SD's) fuel being used up during the abort.

For land touchdowns they will initially test parachutes down to ~10 meters then use the SD's to land, similar to Soyuz. Later they'll test full propulsive landings without a crew first, probably during cargo flights, then after several crewed flights with propulsive.

Because there are 8 SD's in pairs and they're both massively overpowered and deeply throttleable Dragon can lose a couple of SD's and still land propulsively.

Even after full propulsive landings are standard they will retain the parachutes, which will gain a powerful low altitude mortar deployment system for backing up the SD's.

Parachutes & SD's (at the end)

Propulsive

[DocM]

The new Dragon 2 parachute system drop test is immenent. Preps were underway today.

This test article is a refurb of the original 2010 Dragon parachute testbed. Mainly added the new, more powerful parachute system and ballast to simulate the greater mass of Dragon 2.

[DocM]

http://www.ksby.com/mobile/news/nasa-and-space-x-test-spacecraft-in-morro-bay/

  Quote

As if the skies themselves haven't been spectacular enough the last day or so, anyone looking upward in Morro Bay today saw quite a show: an Erickson Air Crane carrying a spacecraft out over the bay to the Pacific.

As part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program, Space X and NASA are working together to modify Space-X's Dragon spacecraft for human space flight. They were hoping to test how the spacecraft's parachutes deploy and how the spacecraft lands today, but ended up bringing the module back to the Dynegy plant for another attempt later in the day or tomorrow. Similar tests were conducted in Morro Bay back in August of 2010.

The Dragon spacecraft being carried over Morro Bay today is currently delivering cargo to and from the International Space Station for NASA. The tests being conducted will help NASA and Space X make any modifications necessary to have the Dragon start fliying astronauts and other crew members as early as 2015.

Space X says Morro Bay is an ideal location for this type of test and the support of the community makes it even better. The testing process is happening out of the Dynegy power plant with the support of the Morro Bay Police Department, Morro Bay Fire, the U.S. Coast Guard, the FAA and the Morro Bay Planning Department.

See video of today's first testing attempt on KSBY at 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. To see video from previous test in Morro Bay in 2010, click here.

[Shiranui]

The need to send out a whole bunch of landers to the moons of Jupiter and Saturn.

[Beittil]

So did this happen yesterday or will it be today?

[DocM]

That attempt was aborted when something (winds?) started the capsule rotating. Not too unusual with helo lifts. Expect another attempt when they get the rigging right. Not long.

[SarK0Y]

in fact, if you have powered-landing -- capsule becomes heavy & 'chuting will be less efficient. in other words, Musk has made super expensive taxi for ISS + it's internally unreliable. :) by the way, will there be batteries or solar panels?

[DocM]

For ISS taxi missions crew Dragon will use batteries (a much larger pack than cargo Dragon), as will the Boeing CST-100 and Sierra Nevada Dream Chaser. For longer missions, solar arrays.

We do not yet know what the new aeroshell will look like, nor the trunk. There have been statements of more and larger windows, an offset docking adapter to accomodate a forward pilots window, definitely retractable landing gear and fairings for the SuperDraco's.

There are others that I won't mention as they are either embargoed or unconfirmed.

[SarK0Y]

  Quote

 

For ISS taxi missions crew Dragon will use batteries (a much larger pack than cargo Dragon)

batteries are very concern for safety issue, such pack can Just not only catch a fire, there is possibility of explosion + pack makes weight penalty for landing & reduce internal space as well.

[geertd]

  On 20/12/2013 at 22:42, SarK0Y said:

 

For ISS taxi missions crew Dragon will use batteries (a much larger pack than cargo Dragon)

  On 20/12/2013 at 22:42, SarK0Y said:

batteries are very concern for safety issue, such pack can Just not only catch a fire, there is possibility of explosion + pack makes weight penalty for landing & reduce internal space as well.

 

but that is thrue for every spacecraft and not only spacex dragons concerns

as doc said

For ISS taxi missions crew Dragon will use batteries (a much larger pack than cargo Dragon), as will the Boeing CST-100 and Sierra Nevada Dream Chaser. For longer missions, solar arrays. 

 

if you quote be sure to quote correctly

[SarK0Y]

Geertd, why to use batteries, if solar panels are more safe? seems they want to reduce cost, but such reduction directly affects crew safety.

[DocM]

Because batteries are used for storage on solar panel satellites and spacecraft too, covering times when they are in Earth's or any other bodies shadow. Same as a solar powered home or business needing power buffering at night. For short crewed flights like to the ISS solar isn't needed because the batteries can be recharged after docking. Larger batteries are also lighter and cheaper than $$ panels for such missions.

You should know this from the other site you were just booted off of. If mods want details I'll provide them & put 'em in contact.

Back from the troll's bridge to the really real world....

Third party, and oddly edited, video-pic mashup of todays parachute drop test. There should be a better one from SpaceX later.

[SarK0Y]

  Quote

 

Because batteries are used for storage on solar panel satellites and spacecraft too, covering times when they are in Earth's or any other bodies shadow. Same as a solar powered home or business needing power buffering at night. For short crewed flights like to the ISS solar isn't needed because the batteries can be recharged after docking. Larger batteries are also lighter and cheaper than $$ panels for such missions.

yes, DocM, it's cheaper. have i ever argued it??? :) but cheapness cannot be very priority for man-rated missions, if cost reduction pounds safety -- crew cannot jump out of capsule like users of tesla motors have liked to do ;)

[Brian M. Veteran]

Thread Cleaned

Keep it on topic guys. Let's not resort to arguing.

[ks8877]

DocM, thanks for good posts.

IMO, SpaceX the only real hope for progress in space exploration in USA in near future. Somebody like it or not, but currently we do not have much hope for other companies.

The next year 2014 SpaceX could make-or-break and could show who currently has The Right Stuff.

[SALSN]

I think it really comes down to how fast they can begin to reuse the stages, and thus lower their prices by orders of magnitude. If they can do it in a few years, and still be able to supply the marked, no one is going to buy any other rides, and thus the other companies needs to go for something similar, otherwise they are just going to go out of business.

Creating a monopoly is probably not going to be good in the longer run though. So, even though I love SpaceX, I hope a few more players stay in the race. :-)

[DocM]

The coming Thaicom-6 launch will likely, as with SES-8, test the upper portion of the return flight profile.

Yes, SES-8 did thruster maneuvers and did re-light its first stage engines after stage separation. Videos shot by the public and a video shown by SpaceX at a conference, but not released, confirm this. Rumors are they're trying to reduce first stage re-lights from 3 to 2.

The (NET Feb. 22) CRS-3 Dragon mission to ISS could well attempt a land landing; if the landing legs are ready SpaceX has requested FAA permission and is working with KSC to assign a landing pad location.

F9-R (Grasshopper 2) is reported to be at McGregor, the Grasshopper 1 has been removed from its pad, and its expected F9-R will do a small number of hops there before being shipped to SpacePort America for high altitude tests.

IMO this could happen on an accelerated timeline once Thaicom-6 is out of the way. Fingers crossed.

On the Dragon front, there are some interesting changes coming beyond a new parachute mortar system, the SuperDraco abort/landing thrusters & their fairings. Can't share yet because of an embargo, but I'm sure they're going to be conversation worthy.

[ks8877]

Visible difference for this SpaceX Dragon parachutes deploy test from similar tests in 2010 is that Nose Cap is attached to the spacecraft.
It's could be for reusability (including Nose Cap), but this shape could be also for other schema of return from deep space on the side-located heatshield to reduce G forces.

[DocM]

There's been a lot of debate about that nose cap. Back around 2006 the on-orbit crew Dragon concept art looked like this -

they moved the panels to the trunk and made them larger, 5 kWh, and lost the nose cap for simplicity on cargo Dragon.

A pretty good case for its return is being made by engineers who feel it could serve as a re-entry protective device for crew Dragon's very expensive new NDS (NASA Docking System) docking adapter, which would facilitate its re-use.

NDS will be used on all Commercial Crew spacecraft and NASA's Orion. 2 NDS port adapters will be shipped to ISS by Dragon so spacewalks can do the mods to the Harmony module. This will allow docking 2 crew spacecraft simultaneously.

My question is what would happen in the case of a total or partial failed deployment?

[malenfant]

  On 24/12/2013 at 00:27, DocM said:

My question is what would happen in the case of a total or partial failed deployment?

Perhaps provision could be made for a crew member to manually open/close the nose through the forward hatch. Or in a worst case jettison.

[DocM]

True, but OTOH cargo Dragon has the grapple adapter / DragonEye (LIDAR) door and its actuators have never failed - not even close.

[DocM]

"Lueders: SpaceX's integrated critical design review (CDR), a milestone in its CCiCap award, is scheduled for next week."

https://twitter.com/jeff_foust/status/455801808049668096

[DocM]

Yhe balloon.is about to go up on Dragon 2 / DragonRider

  Quote

Elon Musk ?@elonmusk 2 min

Sounds like this might be a good time to unveil the new Dragon Mk 2 spaceship that @SpaceX has been working on w @NASA. No trampoline needed

[geertd]

well looks like we have to wait a little longer

 

Elon Musk ?@elonmusk 6 min.

Cover drops on May 29. Actual flight design hardware of crew Dragon, not a mockup.